good morning. breaking news. dramatic new video of that string of tornadoes touching down in texas. funnel clouds tossing tractor trailers into the air like toys. more than 600 homes destroyed, and the threat is not over yet. al's there live. locked up. mitt romney wins all three primaries in wisconsin, maryland, d washington, d.c. making it virtually impossible for any of his challengers to take the gop nomination. as president obama levels his first direct criticism at his likely challenger. is the general election on? and seacrest. between "american idol" and his entertainment empire he's one of the busiest men in hollywood. but does ryan seacrest have his

eye on something else? we'll ask him when he joins us live "today," wednesday, april we'll ask him when he joins us live "today," wednesday, april 4th, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm ann curry. a lot to get to this morning. first, take a look at the widespread damage in north texas this morning caused by more than a dozen tornadoes described as large and extremely dangerous. and when you see the destruction you've got to wonder how is it possible that no one was actually killed or even seriously hurt. >> that's right. the sheer power of the storms was captured live on television as one hit a trucking company. huge tractor trailers were lifted hundreds of feet into the air. coming up we'll get the very latest in some live reports from al roker and lester holt and we'll talk to a family, they

found shelter in their bathroom as the tornado hit their house. >> that's right. they were lucky. and also lucky was a woman who, after a car plowed into a star, she was narrowly missed by that car, as she stood at the checkout counter. you can see the pictures are dramatic. we're going to have -- oh, my goodness and it backs out and she barely gets out of the way. we'll have more about that coming up. >> plus what made him change his mind? donald trump has now reversed a decision by his miss universe organization, and they will allow a transgender contestant to compete for the crown. we're going to be hearing from both sides, and as you might imagine that one is making some headlines. as we mentioned, much to discuss with ryan seacrest. he's here for a live interview. he'll even be answering some of the questions that you have been tweeting us. so we'll get to that in just a little while. >> let's begin with those tornadoes, however, in texas. ear going to check in with al in hard-hit arlington in just a moment. first let's start with nbc's lester holt who is in lancaster, texas. lester, good morning. >> ann, good morning to you. this picture of a car, two cars

into a house tells you all you need to know about the power of the tornadoes. there were at least a dozen that swept through the dallas region yesterday. here in lancaster, at least 300 homes destroyed. there were a number of people hurt. a few quite seriously. it's remarkable there weren't more. it's probably because people knew they were coming. and so did people around the country, who watched a lot of the drama of this, including those flying tractor trailers, play out on live tv. dramatic amateur video provides this rare, up-close look at the strength of the violent tornadoes that ripped through the dallas area. >> look at it! >> i can't believe this. >> reporter: the scene on tuesday unfolded on live television as the massive funnel cloud moved through. those objects being thrown in the air -- big rig trucks. >> it's throwing 18 wheelers. >> it's not unusual to get tornadic storms in the southern plains in april, what's unusual is that these storms found that

tiny little spot of land where 6 million people live. >> reporter: the tornadoes missed the city of dallas but cut a destructive path across the metropolitan area. the fourth largest in the country. more than a dozen people were injured, including two residents of this arlington nursing home, after swirling winds clipped the building. >> sounded like a train. >> reporter: no fatalities have been reported but this aerial pictures show the extent of the damage. debris as far as the eye can see. and residents left to pick up the pieces. >> our whole house is gone. >> my son could have been upstairs in his room. that room is gone. i don't know how you go on. i'm sure you will. but, i mean, look at this. there's not a wall. >> reporter: the strong, fast-moving storm blasted the schneider national trucking operating center in an industrial section of dallas. littering its parking lot with overturned tractor trailers. air traffic at dallas-ft. worth

international airport was grounded. over 600 flights canceled. more than 110 planes were damaged by severe hail, the size of softballs. >> right over here behind us is the cedar valley christian center. there were a couple of dozen kids inside of this place. >> reporter: the storm struck at lunch time, sending area schools into lockdown mode. and anxious parents in search of their frightened children. donny walker lived in this house in hard-hit lancaster, texas, for his entire adult life. he rode the storm out in his bathroom. >> in the bathtub, underneath this ironing board. so that if anything fell, the iron board will cushion it. >> reporter: his house was destroyed by the storm. though still in disbelief, he feels blessed that he's okay. >> forgive me if i'm trying to read these messages from my family members. >> reporter: during live coverage on msnbc, anchor tamron hall was messaging her family in

the dallas area, in the line of the storm. >> my brother's bank of employment, as well, on lockdown. >> reporter: and mike napoli, the catcher for the texas rangers, tweeted this video taken from the rangers dugout, as heavy winds and rain blew the tarp across the field. a state of emergency was issued in arlington, where this amateur video captured the ominous scene from the ground. wes stevens was on his way to a meeting when he saw the first sign of the storm coming. >> pulled over. i thought well, gosh, i better film this. >> reporter: the fact that people survived damage like what you're about to see here in lancaster can be credited much to the reverse 911 system here, and across the region, in which the police and emergency actually called people and texted people on their cell phones, alerting them of the approaching bad weather, and telling them to take cover. and ann this morning, lots of power still out. power crews busy at work trying to get everything turned back on. >> all right, lester, i'll take

it. thank you very much. lester holt in lancaster, texas. al roker is about 30 miles to the west in arlington, where 150 homes were damaged. al, good morning to you. >> well, good morning, matt. including this home. we're in the martins high school area in south arlington. this home was actually being renovated back here. you can see the blue tarp on it. and the family was living in this mobile home. as you can see, the mobile home now destroyed. so the home all damaged, not being renovated, and the home they were living in completely wiped out. and the problem with this, this was a big storm system that really blew up very quickly. in fact, as you take a look, at least 19 storms, 19 tornadoes touched down around this region. in fact, at 8:00, the national weather service spotters will be going out from the national weather service office in fort worth to look at these storms. here's what happened yesterday. we had a big, deep upper level low, a lot of moisture.

this is really moist air, dew points at 60 -- in the 60 degree range, and cold core upper low, combining to bring in all that energy. well guess what? we have that same setup, not quite as bad today, but still, very potent, making its way a little further to the east all along the gulf coast, down into florida. that cold core low causing problems. we're looking for the possibility of severe storms stretching from new orleans all the way up to lexington, kentucky. in fact, we've had very heavy rain falling in louisiana, southern louisiana, flash floods going on. so we're going to be explaining that and telling you about that a little bit later on. but again the good news is here for the folks in the dallas-ft. worth area, the worst is certainly over. ann? >> all right, al, that's good news. thanks so much. one of the tornadoes went right through the home of lisa and ben, just south of fort worth. they're now joining us along with their two young daughters, abigail and alana. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> lisa, i understand you were

at home with your two girls when -- when you heard the warning. how did you hear the warning, and how much time, how much time -- time it it give you to prepare? >> well, i had saw the news that something was coming. and i had about three minutes to get inside. i went into the bathroom with the girls. i had already prepared a kit in there, and i knew what i was going to do so i grabbed the girls, and i grabbed some pots and pans to put over our heads. we got in there. about three minutes later it hit our house. >> describe riding out this storm with your two little gi s girls, lisa, in that bathroom. >> it was the most terrifying thing i have ever been through. i grabbed on to both kids, i mean so hard. i had no idea what was going on. when it hit our house, i heard a loud thud, a crash, and all of a sudden wind was coming through

my house, i couldn't see anything, because i was inside the middle of the house in the bathroom. but, i held onto the girls, put a pan over their heads, blankets, and just prayed. just prayed. >> you mention survival kit that you had in the bathroom. you actually put it in just the week before. did it come in handy? >> yes. i had baby bottles, i had diapers, i had snacks. flashlights. i mean, everything i needed to last me a day if i needed to. and we used a lot of the stuff in that kit. thank god i had a plan and thank god we got in there in the time we did. >> ben, you have a very smart wife, first of all. she knew where to run. she knew to be prepared. right, with having a survival kit already in the bathroom. how did you first hear about this? because you weren't home at the time. >> right. no, we were -- i was in a meeting in a large office building, and we had started our meeting about 10:00 in the morning. and even to the point that we

had lunch brought in and everything, and we never left the room. there was no window access, no tvs, anything, so we didn't learn about the storms until about 1:00, which was after it came and hit the house. and i'm from texas, grew up here, so we're kind of used to these storms blowing in and stuff. lisa is from massachusetts and i knew she's not, you know -- she's only been here for a few years. and she's been through one or two but nothing like what we had yesterday. so i ran and got my phone and got a hold of her after a few minutes of pretty bad cell service coming through yesterday. but, got a hold of her, and you know, she remembered from some of the stuff that we've talked about on a couple other storms that have come through and very happy she put the plan in action, and followed it through and kept everybody very safe. >> ben and lisa, you've got your hands full but i know you're feeling very lucky this morning. thank you so much for joining us. good luck to you. >> thank you. thank you. >> it is now 7:11. once again here's matt. >> all right, ann, thank you very much. let's turn to politics and the gop presidential race.

mitt romney scored a clean sweep in tuesday's primaries in wisconsin, maryland, and the district of columbia. he now has 573 delegates. that's more than half of the total needed to secure the republican nomination. nbc's peter alexander is in milwaukee with details. peter, good morning. >> matt, good morning to you. that strong performance in the eyes of most observers cemented mitt romney's position as the likely republican nominee. last night he captured three more states, and perhaps as importantly, the attention of president obama. >> thank you, guys. thanks for the victory in wisconsin, and maryland, and district of columbia. >> reporter: celebrating a decisive primary day sweep that extended his lead in the delegate race, mitt romney is already looking ahead to the next set of primary contests later this month. >> i'm asking the good people of pennsylvania, new york, rhode island, delaware, and connecticut to join me. join me in the next step toward

that destination of november 6th. >> it is great to be home. >> reporter: for his part, rick santorum is already in pennsylvania. the state's former senator defiantly insisting the republican race has just reached halftime. >> the clock starts tonight. we've got three weeks to go out here in pennsylvania. and win this state, and after winning this state, the field looks a little different in may. >> reporter: romney ignored santorum entirely, focusing his attention on the president, trying to turn the tables, claiming mr. obama's the one who is out of touch with average americans. >> it's enough to make you think that years of flying around in air force one, surrounded by an adoring staff of true believers, telling you that you're great and you're doing a great job, it's enough to make you think that you might become a little out of touch with that. >> one of my potential opponents, governor romney -- >> reporter: but previewing his re-election argument in a speech to the associated press, the president for the first time directly addressed his likely republican challenger,

criticizing romney for his support of republican congressman paul ryan's budget plan. >> it is really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country, thinly veiled social darwinism. an think threat cal to our entire history. >> reporter: the president even referred to romney with sarcasm to drive his point home. >> he even called it marvelous which is a word you don't often here when it comes to describing a budget. a word you don't often hear generally. >> reporter: but bloggers quickly pointed out that the president has used that word, too. >> it is right for us to celebrate dr. king's marvelous or ratory. >> reporter: neither newt gingrich nor rick santorum has indicated any new plans to get out of this race. even after mitt romney's speech last night, his advisers continued to go after the president. one strategist telling us that mr. obama's re-election team is more obsessed with mitt romney

than creating new jobs. >> peter alexander in milwaukee, wisconsin, this morning. peter, thanks a lot. >> a lot of other top stories to get to. savannah guthrie is in for natalie this morning. good morning. >> good morning to you. topping our news, at least three nato service members have been killed this morning in a bombing in northern afghanistan. nearly 100 nato service members have been killed so far this year in afghanistan. more than half of them americans. back here, a frienting accident in mid town manhattan. a massive crane snapped and crashed to the ground killing one construction worker and injuring four others tuesday night. investigators are looking for what caused the 170-foot crane to crash into two pieces. several workers had to be rescued from the construction site 60 feet below ground. five students in california were sent to the hospital tuesday night after campus police at santa monica college used pepper spray on protesters there. some 200 students were demanding to be let into a board meeting to protest tuition hikes.

students call it excessive force. campus police are investigating the incident but say that controlling the crowd become an issue of safety. the fda is investigating a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 90 people across 19 states and the district of columbia. no deaths have been reported, but at least seven people have been hospitalized due to the outbreak, which may be linked to sushi. investigators are focusing on six groups of restaurants in texas, wisconsin, maryland, rhode island, and connecticut. let's get to wall street now. cnbc's courtney reagan is at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. courtney, good morning. >> good morning to you, savannah. moody's has downgraded credit rating on general electric by one notch to double-a-3. moody says this new rating better reflects the risk profile of ge. ge, however says that its capital and liquidity have never been better and it's simply a change in methodology. general electric is a part owner of nbc universal. elsewhere the fda has found

versions of the breast cancer drug avastin and is warning hospitals and doctors to only use approved products. savannah? >> courtney reagan in washington. thank you so much. the baylor lady bears finished a perfect season last night, beating notre dame 80-61 to take home the ncaa title. that victory makes baylor the first college team, men or women, to complete a 40-0 perfect season. and a close call in connecticut caught on tape. a suspected drunk driver came barreling through the door of a convenience store monday night. that is janiah peterson at the register there with some very quick reflexes. she jumped out of the way as the suv reversed, and then backed out of the store. the driver is now facing charges. it's 7:18. back to matt and ann. she was actually buying a lottery ticket at the time. >> i hope she wins. >> but she's lucky to be alive. >> she takes one step back at the wrong time there, that ends completely differently. what a terrible story. >> meantime, go baylor. >> that's good. 40-0, huh? the lady bears.

good for them. let's go back right now to arlington, texas. al has been down there covering these tornadoes. we've got the rest of the forecast now. what parts of the south under the gun today, al? >> well, matt, the area we just showed you, thematt, the area w showed you, the lower mississippi river valley really getting hammered right now. in fact as we go to the radar, you can see heavy rain making its way from eastern texas along southern louisiana, including new orleans. we're talking on-ramps to i-10 shut down. a lot of big airport delays coming in and out new orleans. we're talking 2 to 3 inches of rain and there's another batch of rain that's expected in the next few hours as well. as we look at the rest of the country, you can see the risk of strong storms in the southern and central mississippi valley. we're looking at flurries in northern new england. showers make their way into the pacific northwest. windy conditions southern california. plenty of warm sunshine making its way from west texas into the southwest. that's whas going on around the country. here's what's happening in your

neck of the woods. good morning. a gray sky over the region this morning, a cloudy start to this wednesday. right now we're in the 40s and mid-50s much of the area and we will continue to climb into the 70s later today. a little sun may be breaking through from time to time, overall a lot of cloudiness. by mid to late afternoon might have a shower or thundershower. then tomorrow cooler weather returns. it will be in place with sunshine thursday, >> and that's your latest weather. we've been talking about these tornadoes, and if it seems like this year we've been talking about them a lot, you're right. we're at just the beginning of a very unusual year. an act of nature with horrific effects. 18 wheelers blown around like leaves. >> this is something i have never seen before. >> homes lived in for years, flattened in an instant.

>> my roots, and my family's roots, and it means something to me. >> reporter: in a typical year the united states sees about 800 tornadoes. this spring has been hardly typical. >> so far this year it has been pretty busy. we're running about 50% above average for the number of tornadoes thus far this year. >> reporter: the power of a tornado develops when the energy of a thunderstorm gets stacked into an upward spiral. as the column of air stretches between ground and sky, wind speed can reach up to 250 miles per hour. >> oh, my god! >> we've had record heat, so often, so that warmth is a big ingredient that provides the instability for the storm. >> reporter: in their path, tornadoes have been taking a devastating toll this year. from texas to illinois. dozens of fatalities, millions of dollars in damage, and still months left in the tornado season. as total as the devastation these storms may seem, what they

lay bare in their survivors is just as powerful. when henryville, indiana, was blasted in march, one courageous mom protected her kids with her body. it cost her parts of both legs. a price stephanie decker was willing to pay. >> i love you. the biggest reason i fought for is for my children. and i'm just so thankful that they lived and they didn't have a scratch on them. >> and, matt and ann, last april you'll remember we had a record month for -- for tornadoes in april. 758 tornadoes last april. hopefully we're not on track for that this year. back to you. >> exactly, al. thank you so much for that. and just ahead we want to mention that it's been a pretty doctoring morning around here on tuesday as you may remember with sarah palin as our guest host. some reaction, in fact a lot of it in fact has been mixed.

we're going to tell you all about that. >> also ryan seacrest. he's already got a couple of dream jobs. does he want something else? we'll talk to him about his future plans, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, u.s. olympic swimming great amanda beard opens up in a live interview about her battles with drug abuse, body image, and depression. >> and also coming up, donald trump's change of heart in weather a transgender beauty queen can compete in the miss universe pageant. [ man ] get the 20 piece mcnuggets. what? that lovely girl, caught your eye? 20 piece mcnuggets are only $4.99. you offer to share them. a conversation begins. that's pretty smart. i been around. [ male announcer ] 20 piece chicken mcnuggets only $4.99, just one of the awesome tastes available only on mcdonald's new extra value menu. the simple joy of being extra smart.

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good morning. it's 7:26 on this wednesday, april 4th. we've got some trouble spots on the roads right now. >> reporter: first let's start in the district where a downed tree is blocking p street northwest between 10th street and 12th street. please be aware of that as you're making your commute. traveling southbound in maryland, southbound route 5 at brandywine road. only the left lane gets by the crash there. if you're taking the beltway in virginia, you're jammed on the inner loop at arlington boulevard. you're at about 29 miles per hour from the interchange to the dulles toll road. ♪

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afternoon or evening thundershower or shower. after that, getting cooler. cool, dry weather with sunshine back for thursday, friday, saturday and sunday and a cool start to next week as well. another local update in 25

morning. the 4th day of april, 2012. that was the scene on tuesday when sarah palin was here. as you can see, she made herself really comfortable, even taping over his name, over matt's name in matt's dressing room. so what is going on in there this morning? >> i don't know. obviously i decided not to -- >> oh, wait a minute. >> ryan seacrest in the house. who apparently has his sights set on that same dressing room. we'll find out if that's a temporary or a permanent situation. when we -- don't look in the drawers. don't do that. >> he's looking in your briefcase. that is a bigger problem. >> that is a misdemeanor in most states right there.

anyway we're going to talk to ryan seacrest a little later on about a lot of things happening in his life, in his career. also ahead, a surprising new tell-all from a u.s. swimming great, amanda beard. she's been on this show a lot of times. the four-time olympian competed in her first olympics when she was only 14 years old. now she is talking about her struggles with eating disorders, cutting and drug abuse. we're going to talk to her about that. >> and nadya suleman is going to be here tomorrow. and you may remember her. she's the mother of 14, including octuplets. she's been having a hard time supporting her family, and now she's taking some dramatic steps, including going on welfare to pay her bills. we'll be talking about that, and also what her life is like now. tomorrow here on "today." but first now let's turn to something else. another story. it's not often that donald trump backs down. but following an outcry, he's decided to lift the ban on a transgender woman from entering his miss universe competition. well, nbc's mike taibbi has the

latest. mike, good morning. >> good morning, ann. well this dust-up over whether a transgender beauty queen can compete for one of the pageant world's top prizes is generating lots of publicity. no problem for donald trump, of course. but for jenna talackova's west coast lawyer. she is 6'1", statuesque and striking and until recently competed in transgender beauty pageants. 23-year-old jenna talackova, a canadian, told a reporter for the pageant that she knew from the time she could think that she was not the male she was at birth. >> i always knew since i was about like 4. >> really? >> and i started my therapy and hormone therapy when i was 14. and then i went through with the surgery when i was 19. >> reporter: it was sex reassignment surgery and her passport lists her sex as female. but talackova was disqualified from the upcoming miss universe canada pageant because she was not a natural-born female despite having stated otherwise

on her entry form. an online petition drive by her supporters garnered 20,000 signatures and yesterday donald trump's miss universe organization said she can compete provided she meet the legal gender recognition requirements of canada and the standards of other international competitions. >> we need a clear answer. not a wimpy, wish washy type of answer. >> reporter: later to tmz trump said it clearly. >> we go by the law and based on the laws she's able to compete if she wants to. >> reporter: trump has been center stage in other pageant controversies. >> she made some very, very bad choices. >> reporter: giving a second chance to 2006 miss usa tara conner, after she became embroiled in a cocaine and underage drinking scandal. and that created trump's epic battle with rosie o'donnell. on "the view." >> there he is with the hair going, rosie -- >> reporter: and trump on "access hollywood." >> rosie's been a loser for a long time. >> reporter: and trump harshly

criticized 2009 miss usa runner-up. now it's jenna talackova, the first transgender to go for the miss universe crown. >> letting people know that she is proud of being transgendered, and certainly, i think, makes her a pioneer. >> reporter: as for jenna -- >> i have never asked for any special consideration. i only want to compete. >> reporter: we should note that the misuniverse pageant is a joint venture between donald trump and nbc universal. the canadian miss universe entry will be chosen at a pageant in may. trump says all this publicity has ramped up demand for tickets and his words know, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. big surprise there. >> that's right. all right mike taibbi. that's exactly what we expect to hear from him. meantime let's go back to texas for a check of the weather from al. >> "today's weather" is brought to you by new coffee-mate natural blend. add your flavor naturally.

>> and we're talking about severe weather, springlike storms, we also have to talk about some winterlike weather. and that's in the pacific northwest. we've got winter storm watches and winter weather advisories, northern california, washington, oregon, idaho, all the way into montana, we're talkiay into montana. we are talking about rain and snow moving onshore today. again, it's not widespread, but it is scattered and it will leave anywhere from 6 to 8 inches of snow in the cascades and the sierra. we're talking about a quarter of an inch to half an inch of rain along the pacific northwest coast. plenty of sunshine. mild conditions along the northern tier of states into the great lakes. we've got some clouds in the pacific northwest. i should say in new england with a few snow flurries there. the risk of strong storms along the mid-atlantic coast, also back through the mid-mississippi and lower mississippi river valley. windy conditions continue in southern california. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods.

>> good morning. tom kierein in stormcenter 4. right now it's cloudy and cool. our temperatures around the region are generally in the 50s, low to mid-50s and upper 40s. elsewhere we'll have it continuing to climb into the upper 70s. in fact in virginia. but closer to washington low to mid-70s during the middle of the afternoon. we might have a passing shower or thundershower mainly south of the metro area. that would be later this afternoon and early this evening. then a cool, dry pattern starting tomorrow into the >> we still have a lot of severe weather going on around the country. so you might want to check in with the weather channel. either weather channel on cable or weather.com online. guys, back to you. >> all right, al, thank you so much for that. so governor sarah palin was here on tuesday as our special guest host. and there has been a lot of reaction. >> mm-hmm, there has been. >> some of it coming from our friends on other television programs. for example, mr. jon stewart spent some time discussing it. take a look. >> it's sarah palin co-hosting

the "today" show! and she was there performing a medley of her greatest hits from, i don't read newspapers, to i write on my hand. to that old chestnut i passive aggressively hate matt lauer with every ounce of my being. >> how's it going so far, governor? >> it's great. thanks for letting me crash your dressing room and now that i have your hair products. >> technically i didn't give you permission to be in there. >> thanks, mr. stewart. for the cross promotion there. we really appreciate it. >> i think the twitter verse has blown up, al. it's been insane. there was some negative responses, on twitter, i can't believe that the "today" show had sarah palin on as a guest host today. i've watched the show for 20 years. i am disappointed. >> we also got some positive tweets, one that says go sarah, you're doing good and kicking butt. and then i love the name of these tweets, from a mama gator

to a mama grizzly, i love you sarah palin. >> al, i thought that was your title, pond lizard. >> no. >> but -- >> have you -- >> i thought she did a good job. >> i did, too. it was fun to have her here. >> the thing about it is that, you know, she came ready to play and she was really, you know, she was really easy to work with. >> pretty self-deprecating character. >> totally. i know she wanted to move -- >> the only problem was -- the only problem is she tried to track jim bell our executive producer, she thought he was a bear. >> mr. roker, we'll see you in a little while. >> all right. okay. anyway, coming up next we're going to be talking about a controversial recommendation, why a growing number of doctors want overweight teens to undergo weight loss surgery. we also have, of course, a live interview with ryan seacrest. [ female announcer ] introducing coffee-mate natural bliss. ♪

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ohhhhh! steve was delicious. [ male announcer ] if you like peanut butter and chocolate, you'll love peanut butter and snickers. try snickers peanut butter squared. we're back now at 7:41. this morning on "today's health," the newest attempt to address the soaring rate of obesity among teenagers. while some doctors preach healthy diets and exercise, a growing number of doctors are recommending weight loss surgery. nbc's tom costello has details on that. tom, good morning. >> matt, good morning. this is a bit controversial, because while a third of the population is overweight or obese, the attitude until now has been kids need to cut the junk food and exercise more. but some doctors now say weight loss surgery is the best way to save obese kids from a life of potentially deadly diseases. early morning at nationwide children's hospital in columbus, ohio, and 17-year-old megan huffman is preparing for surgery.

>> it will take about 20 minutes to get to sleep. >> reporter: gastric sleeve surgery. since she was a little girl, megan has been overweight or obese. her weight peaking at 300 pounds. now, prediabetic, a very nervous megan says the surgery is about reclaiming her life. >> i get teased a lot. so made me decide to do something about it. >> teased in school? >> yeah. >> reporter: that can be hard. >> yeah. >> reporter: but this is major surgery. on any patient, removing a portion of the stomach is not without risk. so is it appropriate for a teenager? >> they're not only not going to lose it on their own, they're not going to keep it off for a long term. >> reporter: pediatric surgeon dr. mark mikulski says for patients 100 pounds overweight there are no other realistic options. the obesity related health risks can be just as great in teenagers as they are in adults. diabetes, high cholesterol, blood pressure, even liver, kidney and heart disease. doctor mikulski just authored a

new research study that concludes bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment option for morbidly obese adolescents. >> at the end of the day that boils down to a shortened life span somewhere in the neighborhood of about 10 to 15-year shorter life. >> reporter: with diabetes in the family, megan's parents felt surgery was the right choice. >> i love her no matter how she looks or weighs or whatever. but for the health reasons, i think she's making the right decision. >> all of this part of the stomach is going to be removed and you're going to be left with basically a very long tube. >> reporter: removing 80% of the stomach takes two hours. while weight loss surgery has become common for adults, performing it on teenagers is relatively new. here in columbus they weren't doing any bariatric surgeries on teenagers ten years ago. five years ago they did five. this year they expect to do 25 to 30. >> just because of kids that were there.

>> reporter: another megan, megan muncie, was just 14 and weighs 345 pounds when she had the surgery two years ago. now 16, she's lost 150 pounds, and says her life has changed for the better. >> i have more energy, i'm a lot happier. i have a lot more of a social life than i used to. >> reporter: minutes before megan huffman's surgery, her mom said she hoped the surgery would give megan a better future. >> i hope that she goes to college. gets a good job. finds the right guy. has kids. >> reporter: but for megan, there is a much more immediate goal. >> to fit in my prom dress my senior year. >> reporter: that's important? >> yeah. >> reporter: the teenagers who are chosen for the surgery must convince doctors that they are determined to change their eating habits and their lifestyles. and very often that means big changes at home for the entire family. and they admit it's not easy for anyone, especially teens, who face constant temptations from

junk food. matt, back to you. >> all right, tom costello thank you very much. dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. >> hey, matt. >> how do you respond to someone who says wait a second, at 16 or 17 years of age, isn't it too early for these kids to reach an option of last resort? >> well, that's just the problem. they've run out of all options. diet and exercise don't work, their hormone levels have changed so they're in a state of perpetual disease. and obesity, it's linked to heart disease and liver disease and their cancer rates go up, you're talking about young adults. who really only have surgery as an option. >> tom mentioned in his piece that the risks are the same for teens and adults who suffer from obesity. what about the risks of surgery? are they the same, as well? >> they are the same, except that once you stop absorbing nutrients and vitamins and minerals that happen from the surgery, and you're still growing, you have to really think about supplements. we talked to carnie wilson yesterday about the fact that she had gone through surgery before. and it didn't work well for her. the first time around. and now she's having a second

run. and i think one of the things for teenagers, these kids have to approach this with an adult brain. this is the beginning of a new future. so, diet, exercise, the whole family being involved, this isn't just a one-off and then you can go back to eating pop and mac and cheese. >> and are doctors becoming better at handling both ends of the equation? >> absolutely. >> we're not just going to fix you physically we're going to also make sure you get the counseling you need emotionally? >> and it starts right, being able to say to somebody you're not ready for this. or there are other options for you. and then it's psychological training. it's social work. it's getting the family in. it's diet. it's exercise. it's everything. surgery is a component of the rest of the life being changed. and then the kids have a chance at a real life and frankly not dying young. this is the disease that is going to cripple this country if we don't get our arms around it. and this is one cool. >> all right, nancy, thanks. appreciate it very much. nice to see you. it's 47 after the hour. still to come, ryan seacrest live in our studio. he'll talk about everything under the sun. but first, these messages.

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look who finally made it to our studio. ryan seacrest. welcome. >> good to be here. good morning. >> how you been? you were supposed to be here yesterday. you had some medical issues. >> yes. i had surgery on my elbow. so i didn't realize that i shook so many hands in a day. since the surgery it's a little painful. so i'll be all right. but heavy lifting, matt, at the gym. >> you got to have -- >> you got to have girth to host the show. >> how did you -- >> i tore a tendon by overtraining and i didn't slow down. so i had it operated on. i can still hold the results card on "idol." should be okay. >> does that interfere with your

other part time job, scooping ice cream? >> it's a yogurt machine. >> you mention "idol." you have to get back? >> i do. i spoke to the producers last night, and they said, you're where? i said, new york. we have a two-hour live show this evening in los angeles. >> but a rehearsal -- >> the rehearsal at lunch time. >> you don't need to rehearse at this point. >> somebody can cover if i get there a few minutes late. randy would be great up there onstage. >> i know you're used to life on a plane, aren't you? >> yeah. i travel a lot. but i'm also used to juggling a bunch of different things. i find that exciting. >> funny you bring that up. because we're going to be talking about your plans for juggling. >> have you heard about any of my plans? >> i've read some headlines. we'll be talking about that -- >> what are you talking about? >> what are you guys talking about? >> much more with ryan. by the way, if you have a question for him, and i've got a couple, you can tweet us @todayshow/seacresttoday. >> sounds like a lot of time for this interview.

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7:56 is your time now. good morning to you, let's check in with tom kierein with a look at your forecast. >> good morning. cloudy and cool now. we're near 50 degrees. later today into the 70s, but then we have a cool pattern after maybe a shower or thundershower this afternoon. it will clear out tonight and get chilly. tomorrow morning near 40 degrees. afternoon highs in the low 60s on thursday with sunshine back and sunny on friday, saturday and sunday, but each day chilly in the mornings. 30s to near 40. afternoon highs low to mid-60s. a cool start to next week as well. now back to you. >> thank you. we'll take a

good morning. traffic lights are out in northwest d.c. p street and 11th. also the downed tree causing closures on p street between 10th and 12th street. over to i-66 eastbound at nutley, a crash blocking the right lane. there are delays eastbound at 34 miles per hour. >> thank y

8:00 now on a wednesday morning. it's the 4th day of april, 2012. there is one of the busiest men in show business. you know him from "idol." he's got an empire going. he happens to be a terrifically nice man. that's ryan seacrest and he is in new york today before getting back to los angeles for "idol" this evening. we're going to talk to ryan about a lot of subjects. his future plans, even that incident on the red carpet with the dictator. coming up in just a couple of minutes. he handled it so well at the time. what do you think he was really feeling about that?

>> that's a good question. a lot of people speculated about that. i guess we'll get the real answer in a few moments. >> out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with ann curry. and a huge spring crowd behind us. and what -- sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. and what else do we have coming up? >> also coming up we're going to be hearing from amanda beard. of course she's the olympic swimmer who has really been amazing medal winner. she's written a book called "in the water they can't see you cry." which of course is intimating how much the pool has been a rescue for her. against all kinds of difficulties, including depression, bulimia and drawing abuse. this morning she openly shares her story. >> all right. also i want to mention, al is not here because he's down in arlington, texas. also coming up, 13 years after the blockbuster hit "american pie," the kids are all back this time at their high school reunion. we'll catch up with the cast a little later in the show.

>> sounds like fun. >> let's head inside. savannah guthrie filling in at the news desk while natalie is off. good morning. >> good morning. at least 19 tornadoes touched down tuesday, causing extensive damage in the dallas-ft. worth area. hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. the storms so powerful, big rig tractor trailers were lifted high in the air. however there were no reports of any deaths or serious injuries. mitt romney is adding to a convincing lead in the republican presidential nomination, sweeping the wisconsin, maryland, and district of columbia primaries on tuesday. with that commanding delegate lead, romney is now in general election mode, trading jabs with president obama. lagging in the delegate count, former pennsylvania senator rick santorum insisted the republican race has only reached halftime, hoping to win big time in his home state of pennsylvania three weeks from now. a terrorist attack in mogadishu this morning has left at least ten people dead, including the president of somal

somalia's olympic committee. a suicide bomber debt natured explosives just as somalia's prime minister was about to make a speech at the country's new national theater. the prime minister was unharmed. the al qaeda linked group al shabaat has claimed responsibility. emergency officials in colorado acknowledged tuesday that people who called 911 last week about smoke from what started as a controlled burn were told the fire posed no threat, and were not given evacuation orders. sheriff's officials now say they didn't realize the fire had blazed out of control. one of the 911 calls came from an elderly man who was later found dead on his property, along with his wife. a surfer in hawaii says he used his board to fight off a ten foot shark that bit him on the foot. 28-year-old joshua hole li was paddling off oahu's north shore when officials say a ten foot shark, bit his left foot, left go and bit him again. hole li is scheduled for surgery today and shark warnings have been posted in that area. now let's look at what's trending today.

our quick roundup of what has you talking online. his acrimonious firing friday by current tv has keith olbermann trending on google. last night david letterman asked olbermann if he blames current's co-founder former vice president al gore. >> is former vice president al gore, does he know what he's doing on tv? >> i screwed up. >> if you buy a $10 million chandelier, you should have a house to put it in. >> you're the chandelier? >> i'm the chandelier. >> olbermann has said he plans to take legal action against current tv. a provocative article by british journalist samantha brit has set off an explosion of resentment online. the 41-year-old wrote in the daily mail about the benefits and burdens of being beautiful, and says she can't wait for wrinkles and gray her to help her blend in. brick even posted photos of herself so readers could judge her beauty for themselves.

and sarah palin is hot on twitter and has the blogs talking for her guest hosting stint right here on "today" on tuesday. palin made herself at home, taking advantage of our ample supply of newspapers, and even crashing matt's dressing room. and taking advantage of his ample supply of hair products. it's now 8:05. back to matt and ann. >> this is getting a workout. >> savannah, thank you very much. let us get a check of the weather now. al is down in arlington, texas, where that area got hit hard by those storms yesterday. al, good morning again. >> that's right, matt. thanks so much. 13 tornadoes estimated to have touched down here in about a two-hour period. there's a home right here. they were renovating it. they were living in a mobile home. that got destroyed. there are actually people as you're looking from aerial shots just in to us, you're looking at homes along here, there are cars parked along the street, there

are actually people sleeping in their cars, to try to, you know, at least keep some semblance of their property around and keep an eye on it. but, it really is kind of devastating. on the other side of the street, almost no damage. so it's -- it really shows you the randomness of these ness of these tornados. let's show you what's going on for today. we do have a risk of strong storms again today. our pick city of the day, indianapolis, indiana, nbc 13. showers, mild temperatures, in the mid-60s. here's what we're looking at for today. afternoon temperatures getting up into the 40s and 50s around the great lakes. 40s in new england. 40s and 50s in the pacific northwest. we'll be looking at some snow in some of the mountains, the sierra and the cascades. risk of strong storms lower mississippi river valley up into the mid-mississippi and tennessee river valleys. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. a cloudy, gray sky on this wednesday morning. tom kierein with you in

stormcenter 4. right now it's near 50 degrees. a cool start but we should warm into the 60s and low to mid-70s later this afternoon. there's a small chance of an isolated shower or thundershower developing during the afternoon. overnight clearing out and getting cool. in fact a cool pattern with sunshine each day, but chilly mornings thursday, friday, saturday, sunday and into the first part of next week. in fact by tuesday, highs maybe >> and that's your latest weather. matt, ann? >> all right, thanks a lot, al. hey by the way, you're going to be talking to ryan seacrest. looks like he's in your chair, matt. >> i can't catch a break. >> coming up right after this. i'm good about washing my face.

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we're back now at 8:09 with ryan seacrest. between "american idol," his production company and his radio show, he is building an entertainment empire. he's managed to find time to make his way to studio 1a this morning. we appreciate that. ryan, good to see you as always. >> well, thanks for having me. it's been fun roaming around here for the last hour or so. >> what do you want to start with? there's a lot going on about you. let's start with first of all just how you're finding time to mix all this stuff together. >> i love it. i think the key is that every morning when the alarm goes off, i'm excited about what i get to do. and i've got an incredible team of people that i work with at the company. and i've worked with for years. so the people make it happen. the people around you. >> with all you've got going on right now where do you see yourself in five years?

>> same height. but hopefully balancing everything that i've been able to build, and doing a good job at it. you know, i may not be the fastest person on earth, but i like to be pretty good at hosting. you know, i'm not a great actor i try to be a good conduit to pop culture. >> you've made some headlines recently. and my name has been involved in some of them, as well. a lot of those stories deal with this idea that you could eventually take this job. so i'm going to deal with this the way i would deal with anybody i'm interviewing. i'll ask direct questions. what kind of conversations have you had with nbc about joining the "today" show? >> oh, they didn't tell you? >> that's why you're here. >> i've worked with the e! network for years. and nbc universal and e! are the same family. and so the plan is for me to join the nbc family, and continue to have a role at the e! network. the first assignment will be to join the prime-time team for the

olympics on nbc. >> you didn't answer the question. so the question was, what conversations have you had with nbc officials about joining this program? >> just conversations -- >> and i want names and dates. >> the conversations with four people to your right, who are on the floor. but they were mostly about filling in to do weather. >> so al should be doing this interview? can you see yourself doing a job like this? >> you know, i -- i don't know. i see you doing this for as long as you want to. so, you know, maybe the question is, how long will you be on the "today" show? >> well -- funny you mention that -- >> because fans and myself included think you should be here for years to come. >> can i say something i think is important to just say real quickly? first of all, i think you'd be great at this job. >> and secondly. we have discussed -- ryan and i are friendly. we have talked about this. we've joked about this. there is no tension here.

>> there's no tension. matter of fact, when the story came out, you and i spoke and had dinner right after that. >> yeah. >> there's nobody better than you. >> and by the way, i bought dinner. which i thought was completely inappropriate. "american idol," what is this 11th season? >> yes, this is the 11th season of that show. >> what's your future there? >> i plan to stay there. i think i'll have an official announcement very, very soon. but i expect to be on the show. it's a great, great program. it's a circus to run and i enjoy it. >> you don't want to make that announcement here? >> i tried. we're not quite there. >> not quite there. >> but we're almost there. >> i was reading in the "hollywood reporter" and it said when it comes to reality television you are the most powerful man in hollywood. which is great. it's a huge compliment. you've got the kardashians and the spinoff from that show and all the spinoffs. where do you see reality tv going, ryan? >> you know, it's all about great stories. great story lines. these families, as you've seen,

are very interesting. there's never a dull moment with the shows that we produce. i don't think it's going away. it's also, it's less expensive to produce. >> right. >> so there's clearly an appetite for it. and it makes a lot of financial sense, as well. >> do you, though, get an alarm in you that goes off when a particular story line, maybe even the kardashians, comes close to jumping the shark as the expression goes? >> i don't know that i obsess about that. you know, the power of young girls, and the power, as you know, of women, they latch onto this. the sisterhood of those girls, and have for so many years. but we're always trying to take look at what's next. we have a new show coming out on cmt with melissa and ty. we've got sunset. we've got the kardashian franchise. and we're still looking for the next thing. >> you've got a knack for show biz, no question. you have a knack for getting some publicity. you got some on the red carpet not long ago when "the dictator" spilled an urn of ashes on you. outwardly you were a great sport. inwardly --

>> i actually heard what you said the next day, and i think you commented that he -- he took it in stride but he was probably a little upset in the moment. i did not know that was coming. i was completely caught off guard. but -- you roll with it. you know. it's not the end of the world that my lapel had a little dust on it. >> will you treat him differently the next time you see him or do you think he will avoid you down the road? >> i don't know that he will avoid me. i think i'll be -- i'll certainly have a second jacket. i'll be aware. i always have two jackets, and it came -- it came in handy at the oscars. >> a boy scout, be prepared. >> that's right. i like it. >> you're joining the nbc family. we'll see you in london, which is great. >> yeah, i have to tell you, it's been something that i've been very much looking forward to. and we're doing a lot of fun things at nbc, and this is a fresh start at the olympics. thank you for having me. >> it's good to see you. and in terms of other announcements, watch this stage -- not this stage, but watch this stage.

>> all right, matt, thank you very much. coming up next, olympic swimmer amanda beard opens up about her struggles away from the pool and her quest to make it to london. that's right after this. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barks ] [ announcer ] all work and no play... will make allie miss her favorite part of the day. [ laughing ] that's why there's new beneful baked delights. from crispy crackers to shortbread cookie dog snacks,

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back now at 8:19 with u.s. swimming great amanda beard. she's competed in four straight olympics, winning seven medals and breaking several world records along the way. and she's ready to come back for more. but the road hasn't always been easy. we're going to talk to her in just a moment. but first, a look back at amanda's incredible journey. >> amanda beard wins her fourth olympic medal. >> period does it! olympic record time. >> at the tender age of 14, amanda beard made her olympic debut in 1996. >> i honestly didn't think of it as much more than just a normal swim meet that i'd been going to my whole life. >> reporter: she left atlanta

with an impressive collection of hardware, a gold, and two silvers. but it was her traveling companion that stole the show. >> it was hilarious that it was just this big bear from my sisters, who take a teddy bear with me and it blew up. >> if this was in the hands of the russians it could ruin our chances. >> amanda beard slips in there for the bronze. >> going in to the 2000 sydney olympics i had zero expectations on myself. honestly, i was shocked and surprised i even made that team. >> reporter: but beard managed to take home a medal. >> it is to this day my favorite medal because it really was out of nowhere. >> reporter: four years later in athens, expectations were once again high and beard delivered. >> after i won my gold medal in athens, it really is this kind of relief, and overwhelming excitement that all this training has kind of paid off in that little short moment. >> reporter: the olympics made amanda a star. sexy magazine covers made her an

icon. the media blitz took its toll. >> i was trying to be successful so much outside of the water that i started to lose myself in the water. >> reporter: the 2008 beijing olympics marked her fourth consecutive games but it ended quickly in disappointment. >> i didn't even get a second swim. it was a very unsuccessful olympics for me. >> reporter: now 30, married, and a mom, to 2-year-old son blaze, she's got her sights set on london. >> i do have very specific goals for the london games. but i keep everything pretty secretive as far as that goes. >> despite her success, amanda beard was not the same person in private as we just saw in public. she writes about her personal struggles in her new book, it's called "in the water they can't see you cry." amanda beard. what a pleasure. good morning. >> good morning. >> the title itself, in the water they can't see you cry, seems that the refuge that the pool was for you. and it's interesting to note that you write about the

beginning of your parents divorce you say, even though i was only 12 years old, and my mother had left, i wasn't the kind of person to start falling. it's not the beard way. so you cried in the water? >> yeah. i mean, it was one of those moments where i had a difficulty showing any sort of emotions outside of the pool. as soon as i jumped into the water, put my goggles on, i felt like i could let everything go and cry my eyes out, have those emotional moments. and it was my way of kind of meditating and dealing with them. >> and because of your talent, you were thrust into circumstances that a lot of young people aren't, for example at 14, you were at the olympics, and -- and there isn't a real chaperone system for kids at the olympics. and so you're -- you're really by yourself. and you had too much time on your hands and you started alcohol for the first time you tried it. >> yeah. unfortunately, i was 14, and that was my first taste of alcohol after the olympics. and yeah, it kind of just started something, i guess.

>> you became bulimic in college. and you write that even if my purging had hurt my swimming i wouldn't have stopped. i wanted to be a great and fast swimmer but more than that i wanted to be pretty. you ultimately beat that addiction. but what was it that drove it? >> oh, man. a lot of things. just trying to constantly feel worth something, i guess. >> but you were an olympian. how could you not know that you were worth something? >> and that's the thing. it was one of those things where i felt like an idiot, i guess, saying that i was struggling so much on the inside, because i was an olympic athlete, i was having a great career. i had my own home. i -- you know, there are all these great things going on in my life. on the inside i was hating everything about me. i would show up and feel ugly and stupid and just awful, and i struggled with it, because i felt like i couldn't let that out for people to see because they'd be like, well, you have all this success, how could you possibly feel that way? >> and there was depression,

there was drugs, there was as i mentioned, purging, and then it became hard. and a young man you were having a relationship with said you need to go get some help. and that man became your husband. >> yes. >> he became your knight, really? >> we joke that he's my knight in shining armor. but he really was. he's my best friend. he's the person that i could totally lean on. and expose everything about myself. and he still stood by me. and that really impressed me and knew that this person loves me no matter what. >> so, what motivated the girl who could not cry, because it was not the beard way, to write this book that says all of this, and to be here this morning, and speak honestly about your struggles? >> well, honestly, i talked to a lot of young athletes and a lot of females, and i want them to know that my life hasn't been rainbows and butterflies. i've had this crazy, hectic,

roller coaster of a life. and i have found a point in my life where i'm happy, i'm healthy, i'm having fun, i'm really just enjoying myself. so to all get to that point, and so many people are going through the same things that i've been through, and i just want them to know, you're not alone. we all experience all these kind of dark demons, and it's not something to be embarrassed by. go so another reason to cheer amanda beard. you're going after your fifth olympics in london. good luck in that. >> thank you. >> and you even said you're going to try to go after a sixth and make a big breakthrough record. amanda beard. such a pleasure to talk to up. can't to wait to see you in the olympics. the book is called "in the water they can't see you cry." coming up.

good morning. it's 8:26. let's go to tom kierein with a look at our forecast. >> well, good morning. it's been a cloudy start to this wednesday. right now we're into the low to mid-50s. later today by noon time up around 70. ought to hit the mid and upper 70s by mid-afternoon. a lot of clouds around, though. there might be a passing shower or thundershower mainly south of the metro area, that would be mid to late afternoon. then we'll clear out and it will be cool tomorrow morning, near 40 degrees and a cool, dry pattern with sunshine each day all the way thursday into the weekend. and first part of next week. >> we

police in the district are responding to a crash at georgia avenue and randolph street in northwest involving a metro bus and a school bus. please use caution at that intersection. traveling along 16th street at u

street, southbound lanes of 16th street was blocked, right lane was plaublocked by a crash but police still on the scene. traveling the inner loop of the beltway, robinson terminal

8:30 now on this wednesday morning. it's the fourth day of april, 2012. a huge and wonderful crowd we're really glad to have here saying hi to their friends and family back home. they're out on rockefeller plaza. camera time. allow me to talk really slowly. meantime, i'm ann curry alongside matt lauer, savannah guthrie. by the way, they are back! >> that's right. 13 years after the original

"american pie" movie, the cast has gotten back together for the latest installment in that very funny franchise. this time, they are going back to a high school reunion. we've got four members of the cast sitting in our studio right now. we'll talk to them in just a couple of minutes. >> all right, as you know about this, guys, but there is a trend now for people for mothers to vent online about the frustrations of parenting. people saying, all kinds of things. and sometimes they're saying things that really raise some eyebrows. this morning we'll be talking to a woman who started a blog that turned into a website where people are venting and also some perspective on whether it's a good idea, bad idea, maybe people go too far. >> all right. also easter is this sunday. a lot of us are content to go to the drugstore, buy the stuff, dip the egg in the dye and call it a day. martha stewart is not one of those people. she is here. she has easter eggs, i don't know, on steroids. glitter eggs, confetti eggs. she's going to show us how to do

it. >> can i tell you something? those are actually covered in gold leaf. >> wow. real gold leaf? are they valuable? >> yes. don't sit on them. >> grab some eggs and run. >> that's what we're going to do at my house, too. let's get a check of the weather. mr. roker is in arlington, texas, covering a pretty story down there. al, good morning again. >> hey, good morning, guys. we had a little bit of a technical issue so we're on the phone right now. but you can see, it's like -- it's like marconi. in any event, we've -- we've got a -- a beautiful sky today. that's theevent, we've got a beautiful sky today, that's the good news. and the good news for folks who are finally going -- oh, we got our microphone back, who are going to be doing a lot of cleanup today. let's show you right now we're looking at a risk of strong storms making their way from the gulf coast into the mid-atlantic states. we've got pretty decent weather out to the west. showers in the pacific northwest, sunny skies through the plains. that's what's going on around the country.

here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning. mostly cloudy now, temperatures are climbing into the mid and upper 50s throughout most of the region. it will climb into the 60s and 70s by mid-afternoon. by then we might have a passing isolated shower or thundershower mainly south of the d.c. met rearea. then clearing out tonight and a cool pattern commencing tomorrow and continuing into friday, saturday and sunday. highs each day the low to mid-60s. afternoon temperatures a >> and that's your latest weather. ann? >> all right, al, thank you so much. batten down the hatches. the original cast of "american pie" is back for a reunion for "american pie reunites." we're going to catch up with them. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

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we first meet the teenagers from smalltown michigan in the raunchy comedy "american pie." it earned $100 million, millions of fans and spawned seven more movies. apparently raunchy sells. now "american ee runyon" is about to hit theaters. chris klein, alyson hannigan, and eugene levy. welcome back. who had to be convinced, who ran to come back to this reunion. >> i came sprinting. >> did you? >> wait for me. >> i had to be talked into it. >> really, why? >> because i was hesitant. you know, i'm on a show, and i was like, i'm happy. i've got my family. then i met the directors who also wrote it and they had fantastic ideas, and once i read the script i was like, okay, sign me up. >> how about you tara? >> i wanted it and i was so excited. >> yeah. with me it was sex, sex, sex. and i thought you know what, i'm just -- i'm tired of it.

i'm tired of being a sex symbol. you know, i want to do something else. >> you're only one man. >> i'm only one man. that's all i can do. i'm doing my best. >> it's been 13 years. who's changed the most? >> i feel like i have, because i have -- well, a kid and one on the way, and i just feel old. >> i feel like that, not because she's old but because she has a family. >> yeah, you know. i'm very happy. >> when you get back together on set, and now it's a high school reunion, that's the whole premise of this -- of this movie, do the guys on the cast immediately regress to high school days? >> absolutely. >> do they? >> they need to all wear cups when they're together. >> guilty. guilty. he's our ringleader. >> yes, i love a good high jinks. you know, the thing is, everybody -- here's the thing

with me, you know, on the first "american pie" the one thing i noticed about this group of extremely talented young actors was how professional they were on the set, and of course, 13 years later, they're still the most professional people to work with. on the set. so i haven't seen any high jinks. >> personally? >> i think people straighten up when eugene is around. we want to impress him. >> yes. yes. >> what is it about these characters, do you think, tara, that had people coming back for seven movies and now eight? >> i think they're so available. this is a movie where if you watch the movie, there's some character for someone. everyone can relate to the characters from eugene and his relationship and her relationship to her husband's relationship. i think there's a little bit for everything. there's something there that makes you understand each other. >> i think it's the characters, that have been created by these people. and of course the original writer adam herz that created

the characters but it's what these guys brought to the characters i think the audience has a great deal of affection for these characters and that's why we're here. >> one of the great goals of the writer directors of this "american reunion" is they wanted to bring back what resonated from that first film. that nostalgia for the late '90s. and remembering why we fell in love with these characters in the first place. and i really think that they did a phenomenal job. >> without giving anything away in the story here. you're supposed to be the adult here. which is weird in the first place. and yet you in this one end up needing some life advice from one of the younger characters. >> yes. >> what have you gotten yourself into here? >> well, you know, my -- my -- my son right now, without giving too much away, but i am -- i am now a kind of a -- a widower, and it's my -- which was a great

kind of a story point that they introduced into this movie because it opened up a lot of potentially very funny avenues here. and one of them is the kind of the role reversal where my son now actually has to give me advice and give me a pep talk on how it's okay to get out and start dating. again. so that was kind of an interesting relationship twist that i had. >> and we got to a part where he sort of is acting as his wing man which is hysterical. >> do you not also, and i could get in trouble for this, don't you also get stoned with stiffler's mom in this one? >> well, you know, we used to refer to it as getting high. from what i read, back in the '60s, yeah, there are, you know, the introduction of two characters with no name, jim and

stiffler's mom. it was like an unbelievable teaming of these two characters, and i did get to have a lot of fun working with jennifer coolidge, who plays stifler's mom. so yeah, we got to party a little bit. >> we're happy to have you guys back together and on the big screen. alyson i know you're going to be watching a segment later in this half hour with great interest because you revealed to martha stewart a second ago that you were building a crash room at home. >> i just -- yes. i want to just take her home with me. >> you may have to hang out for this segment. >> thank you. >> guys, congratulations. good to have you back. >> thank you. >> it's 8:41. "american reunion" from our sister company universal opens on friday. up next the good and bad of pare parenting, real moms share their confessions.

back now at 8:43. this morning on "today's moms"

confessions of a scary mommy. being a parent is fulfilling but can also be frustrating. sometimes you have to laugh at yourself. we spoke with three moms who have plenty to say anonymously about the ups and downs of raising children. >> it's a really, really much harder job than i ever thought it was going to be. >> don't come near me the kids are walking out the door going to school. because if you haven't done everything i asked you to do 16 times -- >> sometimes by the time i drop off at 8:15 i feel like my day is done. i have nothing left to give anybody else, because they've sucked the life out of me. >> am i cool? yes. my kids, very fair. but there's a fine line, it's called parenting. >> some of the things that drive me crazy as a mother, is the word no absolutely means nothing. no means, i'm going to nag you

and whine and torture you until you change and say yes. >> i'm the cook. and i get this wind to cook on a sunday night and then i just don't. i just want to read like "us magazine." >> i love to kiss my kids good night and open up my bottle of pinot grigio. and sometimes i don't close it. >> i think i feel guilty all the time. it's a saturday and i just want to go get my nails done rather than running to the park with them. i don't think i'm ever doing enough. >> motherhood is being a militant person who knows her schedule, who knows that it is exactly one minute till the kids get up, so get the coffee down quick because after that there's no turning back. >> i go away twice a year with my husband. i don't feel bad. as soon as that plane door closes, i have a cocktail. guilt free. i've earned it. >> jill smokeler is a mom of three and the author of "confessions of a scary mommy an

honest and irreverent look at motherhood, the good, the bad and the scary." and mother of two lisa bell kin is a senior columnist of life, worth and family. good morning to both of you. this blog you started four years ago inviting women to confess their emotions about parenting. has ballooned into this website called scarymommy.com and gets 1.5 million hits a month. what does it say, then, about the need for women to really express their frustrations? >> well, i think it just says that moms, you know, we're not perfect. and we want to put on this front of being able to do it all effortlessly and glide through motherhood beautifully and it's not. it's dirty and it's frustrating and it's hard, and i think it just says we're ready to admit that and get some help, and support from other mothers. >> admitting it is clearly part of the trend. is parenting tougher today than it used to be? or are we more willing to vent our feelings about it? >> i think it is tougher. every trend from the perception that kids are in more danger to

the competition to cross the finish line, to college, to the fact that many more mothers are working and have the dual pressures. yes, i think parenting is harder. but i also think that mothers, fathers have always had frustrations, and this is a place to them. this didn't used to exist. the frustrations did. but this safe place didn't. >> you write that you do have a favorite child. you do write that your husband has turned into one of your children. are you still married? >> unbelievably, yes. and my favorite child differs by the day. i mean it's whoever is annoying me least at that moment in time. so it can be any one of my three children throughout the day. >> you know, the interview allows us to say to a large number of people, even what we don't know, what we used to want to say to our small circle of girlfriends. the question sort of arises, in this desperate need to express our emotions and be healthy about our emotions are we potentially crossing any kind of

line where there could be repercussions? is there a danger here? lisa? >> there is a danger. and are we crossing lines? i think we've already crossed a lot of them. the question is when this becomes the new normal, when people have lived lives where everything is public, will saying these things in public have the same consequences? and i don't know. that's going to be interesting. but yeah -- >> i was -- i'm proud of the type of mother i am. and i feel like it's healthy for my kids to see me as this imperfect, flawed parent who, you know, really has no idea what i'm doing but i love them and i do my best. and there's no reason for them to see anything but that. >> i wonder if sometimes if we allow ourselves to be imperfect it might take away some of that struggle that they -- >> and i looked at my parents as perfect. it made it harder. so my kids will never think of me as perfect. >> don't say it. >> that's good parenting. >> well the book is called

"confessions of a scary mommy" and i'm certain there will be more confessions to come. thank you so much for your perspective. coming up, make sure you stick around because we're going to be decorating eggs for easter. talk about perfection. martha stewart is here with help from "american reunion" alyson hannigan. first, this is "today" on nbc.

martha on "today" is brought

to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is now available only at macy's and on macy's.com. ♪ happy easter happy easter ♪ >> this morning on "martha on today" easter eggs the martha way. martha stewart is here to share some creative ideas with alyson hannigan and the rest of us. straight from the pages of "martha stewart living" magazine. good morning. happy almost easter. from 15 years of working with me you know i was born without the crafty chromosome. >> i know. >> alyson is going to take my part. >> alyson is having her second child and she's a crafter. >> i know. first you have to blow out the egg. >> it helps if you're going to do things like glitter because you don't want kids eating a glittered egg. and they're so pretty. >> show alyson. >> do you have one of these? >> of course. so you have one of these and this blows out the egg. watch this. see the egg comes right out. and you can use the egg for scrambled eggs. >> wow.

once you blow out the egg then you can color them and here they are all colored. >> lovely. >> and then you glitter them. you can do this. paint the shell and glitter them with one color of the glitter. >> just regular? >> regular elmer's glue. just white glue. and then we have these eggs, too, which are colored eggs that are wrapped with string, and just a little dot of glue. this is a beautiful glitter twine. i love how that looks, too. and that's on the cover of our magazine. i love how that looks. >> that's a neon color. >> aren't they great? >> oh, hello. >> glittering. now they're not gold leaf. >> come on alyson. because this is something to learn. >> how did you do this? >> well, you can spray paint the eggs by putting little dots on them. these are the little craft dots. and you can just put those on your colored eggs. >> right. >> and then spray paint in a box like this, in a well -- do this in a well ventilated spot. i won't spray here. then when you pull off the dots, look at that. you have a golden egg with

really cut little polka dots all over it. >> you do like the little stickers with letters? >> oh, sure, names, everything. and they're very cute. they really work very nicely. >> you could have a sign there that says how i met my mother on it. that would be good, right? >> well, if you want to gold leaf you can buy an inexpensive gold leaf. it's like a foil. and you can cover the eggs with that. it's very easy. >> and are they really expensive? the real gold? >> the real gold leaf is like $70 for a pack. >> very heavy, i imagine? >> oh, no, no, no. now these are very cute. because just with colored eggs, and a little bit of issue paper and a pen and a little dot you can make these cute little bunny. >> this looks like a high degree of difficulty. >> oh, no, no, no. it's so easy. take your little egg. a little bit of glue. the glue right here. and you're going to place the egg somewhere on the head. you know, you figure out where you want the -- >> like a crown here? >> no, that's to set it in.

>> oh. >> if you want to put crowns on your bunnies you can do that, too. but look how cute. they stick right on. these are just crepe paper ears. >> oh. >> and then you draw a little face. we have a little pen. >> little eyes. >> and a little puffy tail. >> a little cotton tail and a little cotton nose. >> where do you get these little pieces of crepe? >> you cut them out. you just do that. >> i need to know every step, martha. >> see how cute? and then this is the -- you have to wait for it to dry, of course. >> oh, yeah. my ears keep falling off. >> talk on the phone for a little while holding this like this. >> mine keep falling off. >> we've got this -- >> then quickly put the little tail on the back. >> yeah. >> and you have the cutest little bunny rabbit. >> they're adorable. >> and you can make carrots like this. >> i love the carrots. >> daffodils! >> we could give some of these to alyson as sort of a shower gift? >> that is so cute. >> and one more.

>> who wants to -- >> you like confetti. >> i love confetti. >> put your hand out. oh -- >> so easy. just make a big hole in the egg, and fill it with all this confetti. and then to cover up the hole i filled this one already, use a little bit of your glue, and just put a piece of tissue paper the same color as your egg. >> oh. >> that's fantastic. >> kids would love that. >> cover this offer. >> you do it. >> okay. >> don't you even get near me with that. >> here -- >> whoa! >> oh! that went right for the face. >> you break it -- >> alyson, what are you going to be doing? >> i have all of martha's stuff, and i'll be doing easter eggs. >> good.

>> and the stuff like band camp, right? >> congratulations, by the way, on the baby. meantime, much more coming up still ahead with martha and alyson. 8:56 is your time now on this wednesday, april 4th, 2012. good morning, let's check in with tom kierein for a look at your forecast. good morning. >> good morning. still mostly cloudy. we have temperatures now near 60 degrees around the metro area and it's in the 50s elsewhere. later today we will be climbing into perhaps the low and mid-70s

around the metro area, maybe higher in parts of virginia. a lot of clouds around, maybe a little sun trying to break out. also the possibility of showers and thundershowers moving through in the afternoon. then clearing out tonight and a cool pattern moving in for thursday and into the weekend with sunshine each day. afternoon highs in the 60s. >>

good morning. checking bridges in our area, if you're crossing over the 14th street bridge, a disabled truck blocking the right lane, out of the roadway now. your travel speed northbound not bad on 395. you're at 44 miles an hour, taking 15 minutes to get from the beltway to the 14th street bridge. the american legion bridge, the left lane blocked on the outer loop. be aware of that.

we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning. the 4th of april, 2012. it's a very, very pretty morning here in the new york area. going to the 60s today with bright, sunny skies and a nice crowd out here on the plaza. i'm matt lauer along with ann rry and tamron hall. tamron is here while al is off, along with lester, covering a story that we've been talking about all morning, some really terrible weather for the folks down in the dallas-ft. worth area. at least 19 tornadoes struck that area yesterday. arlington, texas, other towns. the image you just saw, some tractor trailers actually being lifted into the air, and tossed

around. there were dozens of homes that were destroyed. but fortunately, no one has been reported killed in the wake of these storms. al and lester are going to have the latest in just a couple of minutes. >> and make the take away from that is that the warning got out and people got -- got -- were able in time to protect themselves. >> the he verse 911 system really works well. >> on that point on our money 911 this morning we're going to be talking about how you can clean up your credit score. a lot of people have suffered credit scores because of the economy and now they want to buy a house. great advice for you coming up this morning. >> and then something else that's pretty cool, a new segment called busted, a peek at what some not so savvy criminals do when they are caught on camera. oh, man taking a school bus. why would you do that? to a bohemian rhapsody in the back of a police car. real-lime hamburgler.

you just can't make this kind of stuff up. caught on camera. >> the power of surveillance video. >> isn't it awesome f >> a lot to get to. let's go inside. natalie is off this week. savannah guthrie over at the news desk with a look at the headlines. >> good morning. in the news today the damage is extensive this morning around dallas and fort worth. following tuesday's severe weather. nbc's lester holt is in hard-hit lancaster, texas, this morning. i know you've seen a lot of devastation there. >> savannah, the house behind me is typical of what you'll see in lancast lancaster, about 300 homes damaged here from one of what could be as many as 13 twisters that came through the dallas area about lunch time yesterday. people saw it playing out on live television, the twisters, as they moved across this region. a rare sight in a metropolitan area the fourth largest in the country. and of course the most iconic images of these storms, the tractor trailers being tossed around. this is what neighborhoods in arlington and lancaster look

like this morning. a lot of homes badly damaged. as we noted, not a lot of injuries. that's a credit to an amazing warning system here, reverse 911 calls. and again, people watching it actually play out on tv knowing it was coming. at the airport, 1400 people spent the night there as most flights were canceled. as we noted a lot of flights were canceled today, as well. if your travel plans will bring you through or in or out of dallas-ft. worth, you'll want to check the website of your airline to get the latest status. right now trying to get the power on across five counties that were largely hit by these storms. the tornadoes and lots of hail. back to you. >> lester, amazing images. i'm so happy to hear that nobody was hurt. thank you. politics now. mitt romney celebrating wins in all three of tuesday's primaries. maryland, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. romney now has more than half the delegates needed to win the republican nomination, and he appears close to sealing it up. one worker is dead, four others injured following a crane

collapse at a manhattan construction site. officials are trying to find out why that massive crane snapped in two. as many as 30 students were pepper sprayed last night at santa monica college as they protested proposed tuition hikes. campus police used the spray when the group tried to get into a meeting of the board of trustees. health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 90 people in 19 states and the district of columbia. the fda says the outbreak may be linked to sushi. a stray bear cub is feeling well after it was taken in by a canadian couple who found it abandoned last week in a ditch. they've been caring for the cub, even bottle feeding it. conservation officials hope to put it in a wildlife preserve in a few months from now. and a royal unveiling this morning in london. today madam tussaud showed off a wax rendation of will and kate, the duke and duchess of cambridge to mark their upcoming

first anniversary which is april 29th. it took more than four months to complete. pretty life-like, too. it is now 9:04. back to al and a check of the weather in arlington, texas. good morning, al. >> well, good morning, savannah. and you get the capriciousness of tornadoes. this house has had some damage on the outside. nothing too terrible. the garage door injured. broken. but you look across the street here, just across the street, and this house is a total loss. completely destroyed. the garage is left standing, and that's about it. and that's what you see all throughout this part of arlington, texas. over 150 homes destroyed just in this community alone. let's see where we've got the risk of strong storms risk of strong storms today. and that's going to be in the lower gulf coast. here's what's happening. we've got warm, moist air coming up from the south. we have a very vigorous cold core low pressure system, upper

level low, an that's going to create more strong storms. so the risk down through the lower gulf and into the mid-mississippi and tennessee river valleys. the rainfall is not that big a deal. we're talking maybe for some areas about 1 to 3 inches. we have had flash flooding throughout parts of southern louisiana and mississippi. we're going to keep an eye on that. but the big story, of course, the risk, although low, still a risk of tornados in that severe risk area stretching from the gulf into the mid-mississippi river valley. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning, tom kierein, stormcenter 4. right now we have a lot of cloudiness and temperatures are in the 50s to near 60 degrees, although it's hitting the mid-60s already in parts of southern maryland through central virginia. and later today it ought to hit the 70s there and locally around the metro area, low to mid-70s. and then we might have a passing shower and thundershower during the afternoon hours today from early afternoon all the way until sunset. after that, some cool, dry weather moves in for thursday,

friday, saturday into the >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? ♪ call 911 >> now to today's money 911 where we tackle all of your financial questions. your expert, "today" financial editor jean chatzky, author of "money rules." david bach, founder of finishrich.com and author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson, nbs personal finance contributor. sharon you've got to mention a book so i can mention it. >> i have a book. >> all right. >> fair is fair. let's get right to our first question. we've got monica on skype in toronto, ontario up in canada. >> hi, my question is this, my house was paid for in my 30s and since then i've taken out a line of credit which i used as a down payment for preconstruction condos. the bank doesn't like me doing this because they feel it's too risky. what do you think?

>> it is a good question. and i agree with your bank on this. if you're not putting any real equity into these properties, i think it may be a little too risky. let me just ask you, what sort of other retirement plan, what sort of other investments do you have besides this real estate? >> what sort of other retirement plan -- >> well, actually i'm self-employed. so this is sort of my retirement plan. >> okay. >> i'm hoping to have condos -- >> so i would just say spread it around a little bit. because you're self-employed you have the ability to put some additional money away for your retirement in stocks, in bonds, in other things, take it a little slower, amass a bigger down payment, and then buy those condos. >> you can definitely have an i.r.a. and have real estate in it. but you need to establish that i.r.a. first, put some stocks and bonds in it, diversify, have other places for her money rather than just relying on the real estate.

>> it's one thing. >> she's self-employed and she has no debt. that's a huge luxury. >> feel good about that, monica. thanks for the call. all right, our next question, we have pat on the line in new york. good morning, what's your question? >> oh, hi. thanks for taking my call. my husband and i are retired and have only $9,000 cash savings, $30,000 in a 401(k), no credit card debt, $5,000 in pension and social security payments coming in each month, and we are able to pay our bills. we have about a year and a half left on our mortgage on which we owe about $17,000. should we take our 401(k) and pay that mortgage off? >> david? >> no. you shouldn't. and look, the good news is here is that you're in a position to pay your bills with your pension money. so what i would recommend is this, you're going to be debt free in less than two years. that is fantastic from a retirement standpoint. just keep doing what you're

doing. don't change anything. i don't want you pulling money from a 401(k) plan because that money can continue to grow. i would take that money and do an i.r.a. rollover. i'd move the money from the 401(k) plan to an i.r.a. account. that way it stays tax deferred and take that money out over time. that way that money will continue to grow while you're in retirement. >> pat, hope that helps you. we have an e-mail question next. amber writes my husband and i would like to buy a house in the next two years. our credit scores are not quite 600. the debt we have is from unpaid bills that have gone to creditors. can we pay them off and have a better score? also would we get a better score if we open a line of credit? if so, what would be a better to open a credit card or a line of credit loan? >> a lot of stuff in there. first of all, amber, i would say that what you need to get the best mortgage is at least a 760 credit score. you have a long way to go. but you know that already. paying off the debt that's in collections, definitely that's the first place to start. but remember, that's still going to be a negative -- that's going

to be a blemish on your credit report for some time but it's going to be less important over time. the key things to do when you're trying to raise your credit score, of course you always talk about it, pay your bills on time. and use less than 10% of all of your available credit. you want to use less than 30%. if you use less than 10% you actually may be able to raise your score. in terms of using a line of credit, don't like that idea at all. that, of course, might be misused and that could put her in even deeper problems. what she really needs to do is talk to a housing counselor at a nonprofit credit counseling agency like debtadvice.org. we talk about them all the time as well. and make sure that you get a report of your credit score and your report to see what's in there. annualcreditreport.com. >> we all need a masters in credit scorology. thanks so much. gene krat ski, david bach, sharon epperson. coming up next, busted. some not so smart criminals. of course we caught them on tape. and then later the scotto family prepares a special easter dinner

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to make your day bunches better. back now with a segment we're calli ining busted. nbc's jeff rossen is here with more. jeff, good morning. you can't make this kind of stuff up. and i can't believe what people are caught doing on camera. >> the best part of the segment happened just before we went on the air when you started singing bad boys. the cops theme song. these are caught on tape moments. we watch it all the time and i think the message here is video cameras are always rolling and don't get busted, because if you do something wrong, you probably will. >> before we start, i'm not in any of these videos. let's get to the first one. someone stealing from the elderly? >> yeah. >> come on. >> this poor 80-year-old woman from florida, we actually have a picture of her for you, drew ackerman, she actually doesn't look 80 years old, but she is. so she just had hip surgery, she was recovering and her doctor

cave her prescription painrelievers, but those pills kept going missing. you see she's holding a little web cam in her hand. she set that up inside of her house to see exactly what was going on. and this is what she saw. roll that surveillance tape. that's one of her neighbors. that's her neighbor who comes in the house, walks over, grabs the pill bottle, starts counting out pills in her hand, watch what she does next, though, after she has the pills. she wipes her fingerprints with her shirt. now, the 80-year-old -- >> that's crazy. >> was the door locked? >> she just walked in. they're friendly, they're neighbors, so they have open access down in florida and she was very trusting. the 80-year-old woman turned her in, gave over the tape. this is the neighbor, arrested. by the way she pled guilty to petty theft. busted on camera. >> that's crazy. >> by an elderly woman. >> up next, mcdonald's break-in. we know that there's a hamburgler, used to be. >> this is the real hamburgler, one hungry thief. this guy was apparently driving

around late at night. he was hungry. nothing was open, so this is what happened. he climbs in through a mcdonald's drive-thru window, breaks the window. climbs in. does he go for the cash register? doesn't go for the money. he goes for the freezer. he's rummaging through, that's a bag of hamburger patties he grabs out. you can't have a hamburger without fries so he makes himself some fries. >> he made fries? >> and now he's over at the condiments, getting some ketchup. off camera he ends up eating all of this at the mcdonald's. police called him the hamburgler, went to the local tv stations, put the tape on local news. he saw himself on local news and ended up turning himself in. the best part of this is he pled not guilty in court and his reason was that he was intoxicated at the time. that was his not guilty plea. >> okay, next this run away school bus. sounds pretty scary. >> it is scary. it's important to note there were no children on this bus at the time. i don't know why you would steal

a school bus but this man wanted to and police were rolling when they tried to get him off the road. there goes the police chase, and there is the school bus. so look, they set up spikes down on the road to blow out his tires. you can actually see the tires flying at the police cars. very, very dangerous. the next thing they want to do is try to knock him off the road but the problem is he keeps going and he's on the rims. he's driving on the rims. >> it's like the movie "speed." >> police car tries to knock him off. car versus bus. the bus wins. so police bring in a bigger police cruiser to knock him off the road and that time it worked. they go in shooting. by the way, they're not shooting bullets. that's important to mention here. these are bean bag bullets, not meant to kill him. meant to just stop him and slow him down. they dragged him out of the bus and then came the next part. he's wearing only boxer shorts. >> oh, my. >> don't laugh. he's been caught doing this, too. driving only wearing boxer shorts. and by the way he was arrested for eluding police and assaulting a police officer and

the fashion police actually came a short time after that. five minutes later. >> the last one on your list is the one we were talking about. just last week. >> yeah. >> a singing bandit. >> this video went viral. we had it on the "today" show. this is a man from canada. he was pulled over for drunk driving and instead of saying to the police officer, i didn't do it, you've got to let me go, he started singing bohemian rhapsody. not for four minutes or five minutes. but for six straight minutes. ♪ you just gotta get out just gotta get out of here ♪ >>you can listen to it all day. we found out who this man is, he's a 29-year-old man, robert wilkinson. i want to show you some photos from his facebook page which we found. there he is. he is unemployed. he enjoys karaoke and brews his own beer. on his facebook page he also likes being a viking apparently. he likes saving the world one beer at a time is what he says.

and aren't we all. >> yes, yes, yes. >> tamron, you escaped "busted!" this time but we are looking. >> good job, jeff. i like this. >> thanks, tamron. >> coming up, party planner to the stars colin cowie gets inspired by spring to dress up your table. hi! i brought champagne. wow! the best in the world. ...some chocolates swiss! ah...the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt from dannon. really? wait until you try it. so creamy thick and fresh tasting dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2:1 in a national taste test. mmmm... this may be the best in the world. oikos greek yogurt possibly the best yogurt in the world.

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that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. well, muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. zyrtec®. love the air. we want to take a moment now to say hello to jessica saint

claire and london. stars of the new show premiering tonight. we were talking about having best friends and this kind of show. the characters on the show have your same names. >> yes. >> and what else in common? >> london and i are also real-life best friends. >> so this was a real stretch. >> it's a real stretch. >> so we're just playing heightened versions of ourselves. >> and since we wrote it that's sort of where the idea came from. >> so give us the scenario. you move back in together after having been roommates. >> we used to live together. we've been best friends since college. we used to live together. then i'm getting a divorce. i got fedexed divorce papers by a horrible man. >> this is the show, not real life. >> he sent them two-day ground. couldn't pay the extra $3. >> and we're skyping at the time so i'm hearing this, i'm thinking she's getting murdered by the fedex man. >> because she saw a lifetime movie. at any rate she says done and done you're moving back into the apartment we used to share. in the meantime london has moved

in the man that she is going to marry and the three of us have to learn to live together. >> aka three's company. >> exactly. >> so but it's kind of how your writing process works. you have an unusual process where you just chat. you record it and then that becomes a script. >> we're usually in our sweat pants in one of our living rooms. >> london looks like a stranger to me right now because she has lipstick on. and we record ourselves, we do -- london, we play all the parts. she plays a lot of the men. >> i'm a very good man. >> she says some very row monthic things to me sometimes. she says things i wish a man had said to me. >> isn't that always the way. >> no those jeans don't make you look fat. >> exactly. she says all the right things. >> exactly what your friend needs to hear. >> then we transcribe it and that becomes the script. >> i love it. you're not holding anything back. putting it all on the table. >> and putting all of our friends stories on the table, too. >> and you've got some great other supporting characters. >> oh, my gosh.

>> so thank you both. congratulations. >> we recommend it. best friends forever. >> right here on nbc. coming up, billy ray cyrus is singing his achy breaky heart out. actually create those micro fine scratches in the denture, and that's where bacteria can grow and thrive. these are the very bacteria that can cause bad breath. dentists do recommend that you soak your denture in polident. polident doesn't scratch the denture surface, and it kills 99.9% of bacteria that are responsible for causing bad breath. by using polident and soaking your denture every day you can feel confident your dentures fresh and clean. ♪ [ male announcer ] for a bag that grips the can... get glad forceflex. ♪ small change, big difference. that's why i take doctor recommended colace capsules. [ male announcer ] for certain medical conditions

where straining should be avoided, colace softens the stool for effective relief from occasional constipation. go to colacecapsules.com for savings. 9:26 is your time now on this wednesday, april 4th, 2012. good morning. let's check in with tom kierein. when's the rain moving in, tom? >> perhaps 1:00, 2:00 this afternoon. right now, though, just a cloudy sky and temperatures are in the 50s to around 60 degrees. actually hitting the mid-60s southern maryland, towards central virginia. it's going to warm into the 70s throughout much of the region later today. maybe a little sun out, but overall a lot of clouds and perhaps a passing shower or thundershower during the afternoon. then drying out tonight and we'll cool down as well. a cool, dry pattern

good morning. police are on the scene of a car fire westbound suitland parkway at pennsylvania avenue.

please use caution making your commute in that area. over to i-270, no problems there. southbound travel lanes are open at father hurley, northbound as well you're clear. >> thanks so

>> i love every bit. i would die for them. >> that, of course, is nadya suleman who gave birth to eight children back in 2009, earning her the nickname octomom. the single mother already had six kids which stirred some controversy. and the mother of 14 will be here tomorrow to tell us how she juggles it all right here on "today." >> it is so unbelievable when you think about her life. she'll tell us in her own words. incredible. just ahead, if you're planning on having family over for dinner this holiday weekend, celebrity party planner colin cowie will show you how to celebrate spring with colors, inspirations, of the season to dress up your dinner table. and then, what would look better

on one of those tables than -- >> three italians. >> than a feast. >> serving them up. >> yes, the first family much italian cooking the scottos are whipping up a delicious supper in "today's kitchen." and i'm cooking easter dinner for the first time. so i'm going to steal the recipe. >> we all just fast for a week around here when we know the scottyos are coming in. >> that will be the italian portion of the show. then ear going to go a little bit country with a live performance from billy ray cyrus coming out with a new album. and then he's back for more. a little bit later he's going to sit along kathie lee again and co-host the fourth hour of "today." we just heard him play. really good. >> but let's get a check of the weather. al is down in texas covering those tornadoes. good to see you again. >> hey, guys, thanks so much. let's show you what we've got going on for you. for today we've got a risk of strong storms making their way up from the gulf coast. we're also looking at some clouds in the pacific northwest. a mix of rain and snow. also look for some partly sunny skies making their way through

southern california, plenty of sunshine tomorrow, making its way into the northeast. we are expecting more risk of strong storms down through the southeast.ecting more risk of strong storms down through the southeast. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. near 60 degrees now around the metro area, a little sun trying to break out and it's in the mid-60s just to our south and out in parts of west virginia. we'll have the milder air moving in today, into the 70s much of the region. a little sunshine breaking out from time to time. now into the early afternoon. then some clouds close back in with maybe some showers and thundershowers during the afternoon. don't expect any severe weather. clearing out tonight and cool, dry weather for the next several >> and that's your latest weather. savannah, tamron? >> all right, al, thank you very much. up next, celebrating spring with inspired designs for your table from the man who always inspires us colin cowie. mommy's got a surprise for you. [ rattling ]

wanna see what's in it? yeah! whoagasp! whoagasp! whoagasp! you put it in here? yeah. and then you wanna take this... are you making them for the easter bunny? no, you. ahhhhh. [ female announcer ] this easter...bring a tradition... out of its shell. [ cheering ]

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♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] we've added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural cheese to make it creamier. so whatever you make isn't just good, it's amazing. ♪ life is amazing with the love that i've found ♪ [ female announcer ] and to make a creamier sandwich, try new kraft touch of philadelphia slices. this morning on "today's home," bringing your table to life with the colors and textures of spring. celebrity event planner colin cowie is here to share a few ideas on how to create a perfect tablescape for entertaining family and friends. colin, good morning. >> good morning, savannah. >> these are works of art. >> they are beautiful, aren't they? each one almost has a personality. i think that a table like this is kind of maybe for the graphic designer, an architect >> yes, exactly. or the earthy type because

you've got a lot of green. this is contemporary. tell me what you've got. >> kind of contemporary meets woodsy, organic feeling. the foundation starts with this moss and i've covered it with gift wrap which gives us a beautiful pattern on the table. >> this is real moss? >> yes, real moss. and then for the center piece, this is really more like found objects, the rattan bowls, the moss balls, using them, and arranging them in different shapes. and to give it an element of life, first we used wheat grass. i like the idea of the quail eggs. it's fun for that new beginning. good for easter. and you look over here, from our guests -- >> tell me, am i invited? >> savannah -- >> it's beautiful. it comes to life. >> the beautiful cutting boards. i use them with chargers to give a nice foundation on the table. >> and your flat ware. >> wooden.

and the wooten handles as well. this is really beautiful, fun, contemporary and elegant. >> if you're going to do that to a plain plate. this is our coloring pattern. >> this is for the girl who is a cuban italian girl from south beach. >> you do a lot of daydreaming when you create these. >> of course, absolutely. so blue is in about 70% of homes in america. by giving it a shot of pink is like a shot of b-12 to the table. i love the idea of mixing the pink together with the blue. we use the foundation which is a fabric i found here very inexpensive. we folded it to make a runner. love these plates, found these at crate and barrel. and for flowers, i like to have one type of flower working in one vase with one color. you can also use carnations or gerbera daisies, and of course the candles are wonderful fun.

>> nice to see the color combination. it's a little off the beaten path. >> that's what summer is all about. making people feel welcome in our homes. >> our last table you call the flowered, bright colored. >> this is for the fashionista. tangerine is the most fashionable color this season. so we worked with that as our foundation. and these pieces of slate, some river pebbles, as well. cut flowers tend to fall rather quickly. so i give you the plants that will last several weeks at a time. i love mixing the gold, very fashion forward, as well. and then to balance the table, using the river rock with your name written on it. >> now very a pet rock. >> exactly. >> a little party favor out of it. colin cowie, these are great ideas. very inspiring. >> thank you very much. >> all right. coming up next the table is set now for a nice easter dinner with the family courtesy of our favorite family the scottos. i'm here with karen and her bffs

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♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup [ chuckles ] isn't easter fun, red? [ grunts ] not from my perspective! ♪

"today" celebrates easter is brought to you by m&ms. bring m&ms home this easter. >> this morning on "today" celebrates easter, sunday dinner with the scotto family. >> and here to celebrate are mary and anthony and alana. good morning, scottos. >> good morning. >> how are you? >> of course you brought plenty of things to make. >> i'll start with you, marianne. >> we're doing risotto today. this is the beginning part. you've got to do this also with tender loving care, and you've got to keep stirring. >> oh. >> i thought that was all butter -- >> no, no, no. we do put butter in but we start with the olive oil and the onion. can you help me ladle? >> of course i can. >> that's a seafood broth. >> this is hard -- >> oh, okay next time i'll do it

myself. oh, lord. >> oh, no. >> you're supposed to be the nice one. >> i know. >> wow. >> we don't have enough time! are you kidding? okay, so this is stirred for 20 minutes. here it is with the magic of television. it's 20 minutes later. now we're putting in the butter. >> that's what i was hoping for. >> yes, we are. and we are putting in the shrimp. >> uh-huh. >> and you put the shrimp in uncooked? >> yes, it cooks in two minutes. >> oh, my gosh. >> this is about tamron today. i love it when you're here. >> she loves you. and i was wondering if it's -- >> no, no. >> don't wonder. no. >> wonder away. >> okay. >> yes, momma. >> so anyway, put the butter, this cooks for about three minutes until the shrimp turns

color. >> okay. >> and then you know, voila. >> okay. >> and you know, we always have our easter bread on the table. >> nobody eats it. it's got to be there. >> we'll move on. >> we're making lamb osso buco. >> ham is usually traditional during eastern. you can have lamb shanks. but we thought a little bit boring this year, let's do some lamb osso buco. we're taking these off for a second. we're using the rendering of the osso buco that we're doing. we also did a little bit ahead of time, a little bit of frosh outo, and rendered that off, too. we're going to add our vegetables, celery, carrots, a little fennel. always a little fennel, it's italian. we're just going to cook it off and let it kind of melt down and get gooey. once we've done that, we're

going to take all of this, we're going to add it to this baking pan. >> good thing you didn't ask tamron to do that. >> we're going to add -- >> i'm sorry. >> oh you are -- put the osso buco back. we're going to add all our liquids now. it's very important with the liquids. we're going to add a little beef stock in. and we're going to add a little red wine in. tomato sauce. >> can i add that? >> absolutely. >> here, tamron. >> and you want it nearly covered. also important is you want a little lime and lemon. a little bit of seasoning. you cover it tightly, tightly, tightly. 2 1/2 hours. let it cool. unbelievable. cream polenta. a little peas for spring. >> love it. >> all right. >> this i've got. >> this is the story. this is our kind of dessert. we are marinating oranges. and this is how we're going to do it. some cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, star annise.

and i don't know about you, when i need vitamin c i want to cover it with grand marnier. >> momma is in the kitchen with oranges. >> we're going to do this overnight, 24 hours. gets the party going. >> okay, okay. >> and then here we have our lovely oranges that we've taken out. we're going to couple it with some ice cream or gelato. and then our little sauce on top is simply -- >> oh. >> can you do that later? >> this is just orange sauce -- orange juice, sugar, a little butter, and then we take that marinade, again, and put it in. >> ooh. >> and it's very refreshing. adults only. and a little chopped walnuts that are roasted. >> love it. >> and you have a nice light and refreshing dessert. >> that's amour. >> wait, wait. >> five seconds. >> this is italian quiche on

steroids. you have to have this. >> unbelievable. >> prosciutto, eggs -- >> grab it. >> scottos. >> really too busy? >> what can i tell you. >> scottos, thank you so much. happy easter. the recipe is on our website. >> up next billy ray cyrus live in concert.

the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. >> musician, actor and father billy ray cyrus can now add the title of morning show co-host to his repertoire -- i'm country. i can't say it. he's filling in for hoda kotb this morning. >> but first he's going to perform a new song for us from his upcoming album. thank you for coming back.

how was yesterday? >> it was a lot of fun. looking forward to today. it's -- blessed to be here. absolutely blessed. >> how do you balance all of this? and you look so good. >> well -- >> i like your hair. >> thank you. you know, it's just fun, different challenges, doing different things. and again, it's just been a blast being with kathie lee. and hoda's always been fun to be with. being here singing some new music today from this new album called "hillbilly heart." >> and you've got a little bluegrass in it? >> a lot of bluegrass. a lot of rock 'n' roll. this album encompasses all of my roots from the very beginning. >> congratulations on keeping it going. >> thank you very much. >> the song is called "hope is just ahead." >> that's correct. >> billy ray cyrus, take it away. >> okay, you got it.

♪ wonder who has the blues so i turned on the evening news ♪ ♪ children running from their school because of some damn fool had no morals ♪ ♪ another kid lay in the blood another town drowned in the flood ♪ ♪ just a tragic trail of tears lessons not learned through the years ♪ ♪ come and save us from our sins ♪ ♪ hope is just ahead sorr sorrow's just behind us ♪ ♪ from what the good book says the truth will never bind us ♪

♪ we shall tell what we shall find i guess the proof will show in time ♪ ♪ ♪ keep the dreamer's surely hope is just ahead ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, you've got to be believe got to keep your faith ♪ ♪ you get on your knees

oh, you got to believe ♪ ♪ people fighting in the streets millions with no food to eat ♪ ♪ how much longer can we last have we learned nothing from our past ♪ ♪ these are the questions that i ask ♪ ♪ hope is just ahead sorrow's just behind us ♪ ♪ from what the good book says to truth will never bind us ♪ ♪ we shall tell what we shall find ♪ ♪ i guess the proof will show in time ♪

♪ till then let's keep the dreamers fed for surely hope is just ahead ♪ ♪ till then let's keep the dreamers fed ♪ ♪ 'cause surely hope is just ahead ♪ >> billy ray cyrus. "hope is just ahead." a beautiful song. you wrote it after columbine. >> i actually wrote it the day after columbine, and then recently was reminded of the tragedy up in ohio, and then just this past week up in california, and just seems like it just keeps happening over and over again. but, surely hope is just ahead. >> but there is hope ahead, too, you're sitting with me for the >> but there is hope ahead, too, you're sitting with me for the fourth hour. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days.

if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

good morning. here's what you can expect tomorrow morning on news 4 today. >> the high gas prices have everybody looking for ways to save at the pump, but what about switching from premium gas to regular? >> you'll save some money, but will it hurt your car? we'll tell you what cars should not settle for the less expensive gas grade. plus we'll get you ready for the nationals opening day in chicago. >> tom, baseball means warmer

weather. it should mean that. how's the forecast shaping up? >> it's going to be mild today. we'll have afternoon highs around the region. a wide range right near the pennsylvania border in the upper 60s mid-afternoon. then the mid-70s around washington and upper 70s farther south. might have a few showers and thundershowers around, then a big cooldown coming tomorrow into the weekend. i'll have details on that tomorrow morning. >> well, i'll have your commuter forecast and let you know how to avoid any big backups on the roads an any delays on the rails. >> thank you. plus all the news from your neighborhood while you sleep. >> news 4 today starts at 4:28 a.m. a.m. wake up with us tomorrow morning

captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> it's winesday, wednesday, everybody. it's april 4th. no, this is not hoda woman. this is hoda ray. >> hoda ray. >> billy ray cyrus. very handsome and talented. he's back with me for the second day. thank you for yesterday. >> it was so much fun. >> there will be a big difference today. he's having red bull today. red bull and cranberry, right?

that's your drink now. >> that is red bull and cranberry. >> uh-huh. and our facebook fans yesterday loved our panty hose polo. >> i didn't get to see it. >> i think we have it up. this is fun. >> that is called wrong. >> on so many levels. oh, gosh. >> that is -- oh, my gosh. >> talk about a case of the droopy ball. oh, my gosh. >> you know what? >> i could have done that all day long, though. it was so much fun. you didn't go over the line, though. watch. watch. we're very competitive around here. boom! >> if i don't get that viagra endorsement now, i never will. >> there you go. like you need more money. like you need more going on. you know what we want to do? >> yeah, i do, actually. >> what we started doing in the dressing room this morning -- red bull works, doesn't it? we started writing a song. we didn't have time to finish

it. so i said to billy ray, i said you know what? we both love to write. let's see if our facebook fans can help us finish the lyrics. because i was going to -- you'll see. let's start it. >> okay, okay, you ready? ♪ you wear the leather ♪ you wear the lace >> hit a cord. ♪ we'll get together ♪ and you can -- >> finish that song! all right. from barbara. ♪ begin the chase from melissa ♪ lick my face from monica ♪ invade my space >> here's the second one. ♪ i'll bring the wine, babe

♪ and i'll bring the liquor ♪ll get together and -- ♪ see who gets sicker ♪ there's nothing more tough and tender than when leather and lace get together ♪ now finish that song, everybody. we'll let you finish the chorus. >> that's going to be a tough one. >> you think? there's never. there's forever. >> together is a tough rhyme word. >> no! together! forever. >> two cords. >> i like that leather and lace thing. we could be -- you could be hank williams and i could be tammy why not. you can put that guitar down, darling, for now. until the end of the show. you're going to sing your new hit with it. what's it called? >> "hillbilly heart." you know that's the name of my book that comes out this fall. the album, too. the album and the book come out this fall. >> okay.

>> both called "hillbilly heart." just a coincidence. >> they should go together. that's what you are. you are a hillbilly and you've got a good heart. >> the book was about the music. i started writing the book. i had written all these songs. i started making the album. i go, i got to stop on the book for a minute because i'm not done with the music. i finished the album. now i'm going to finish the book. as soon as i leave here i'm catching the flight. >> going to go to l.a. if you don't mind. we make a lot of news around here lately. lots and lots of news. sarah palin whom i thought was sensati sensational yesterday. in person this woman is so drop dead beautiful. did you meet her yesterday? >> i met her. her husband is such a nice guy, too. >> a sweet guy. another sweet guy was here today. ryan seacrest sat down with matt a little earlier. speaking of rumors, let's take a look at these boys. i think they're having a

bromance. >> what kind of conversations have you had with nbc about joining the "today" show? >> they didn't tell you? >> that's why you're here. >> i've worked with the "e!" network for years. nbc universal and "e!" are the same family. the plan is for me to join the nbc family and continue to have a roll at the "e!" network. the first assignment will be to join the primetime team for the olympics on nbc. >> you didn't answer the question. do you see yourself doing a job like this? >> you know, i don't know. i see you doing this for as long as you want to. you know, maybe the question is how long will you be on the "today" show? >> well, funny you mention that. >> because fans and myself included think you should be here for years to come. >> boy, can that boy dance. >> i thought they were going to kiss. >> they aren't french.

there's nothing to worry about. >> the way -- the chemistry between the two. >> palpable. >> they start off, i thought there was a confrontation. all of a sudden are they going to hug? it was like -- >> it's a love fest. >> two brilliant men. that was quite -- that was a moment. you know, i was in there. >> i agree. we're all watching -- not the dressing room. don't talk about the dressing room. apparently more news was made last night. because my old pal regis just fresh back from a slow boat to china was on jimmy fallon's show last night. i hear he mentioned me. >> really? >> imagine that. >> what did he say? >> i don't know. >> ladies and gentlemen, we present to you two brains working as one. the first brain providing the answer. the second brain revealing the question! it's time for a brainstorm! >> a bottle of red, a bottle of white.

>> what did kathie lee and hoda have for breakfast this morning? >> whoa. hysterical! >> that is. >> he is actually just back from the -- from a big long trip to china. i'm going to see him this weekend. i'll have all kinds of regis news next week. he didn't sound thrilled to be on the boat after five weeks. okay. the other woman making news, this woman cannot stop making news. i tell you, i want some of the scripts she says no to. the amazing betty white has a new show "off their rockers" here on nbc at 8:00. at 7:00 central. it premieres -- it's the second time around for it. it premieres again tonight. it's hysterical. let's take a look. >> let's do it. >> my bag hasn't come out yet. i partied for three nights in vegas and i'm so wasted!

oh, my god. i have such a hangover you wouldn't believe. you ever done that? >> yeah. >> here comes my bag. oh, my goodness. okay. okay. oh, it's good to be back in reality. in the real world. you know, you party and you party. but there comes a time when you have to -- oh, my goodness. when you have to get back in the real world. bless you. thank you. >> sister mary katherine. >> that's a hit. >> very, very funny. tell me, do you think this is going to be a hit, billy ray? there was never a group like the beatles. all of them have had children. there's an idea their offspring, a member -- a kid from each

beatle will sort of form a beatle 2 band. james mccartney says he, john lennon, johnny harrison are on board. the old holdout is jack starr. ringo. that's not his real last name. his brother jason might do it. question is, good idea? bad idea? >> you know what? it sounds like a good idea. >> really? but they're going to take the inevitable comparisons. who can compare to the beatles? >> if they just -- you know what they need to do is -- not that i know a thing about anything. i would suggest just make their own music. make their own sound. i think they would make their dads proud just to do their own thing and evolve in their own musical journey themselves. that could be a really cool thing. >> that's what we try to tell our children, anyway, right? be the best you you can be. >> nancy lee, who was ringo's girlfriend, she took the photos for my album cover and the book.

not that i'm promoting it or anything. >> ringo is now married to -- >> yeah, yeah, yeah. nancy was years and years ago. >> we got fan updates. >> she just took the photos last week. >> for the new cd and the new album? the new book? >> yeah. don't bring it up. >> do you wear your hair like that on it? >> some. some, i did. >> those aren't extensions, are they? they sort of look like extensions. >> pull it. >> this is real hair. this is real hair. >> it's connected to my head. >> what you got there, sara? >> i have some fan questions for billy ray. the first one is from angela. what is your favorite song right now? >> i like -- >> "hillbilly heart." >> you're spsychic. and there's a new song called "think about changing my mind" on the new album. the one i just played, "hope is just ahead."

>> good songs. got one minute to tell you all about something that's very, very serious. i've been involved with a group calmed child help for over 20 years. and this is an amazing organization that battles child abuse and neglect. and they lobby congress to change laws. indomny tabl ladies that started it. they're down in washington, d.c., right now. because every first wednesday in april is the day of hope down in congress and around the world. april is child abuse and prevention and awareness month. they light a candle right there in the halls of congress to commemorate and mourn, really, the five, now, children a day who die from child abuse or neglect. talk about a national scandal. five children every single day. do the math. die from it in our nation. and the statistics are getting much worse. when i started, billy, all those years ago, it was two candles.

it was two wicks on the one candle. now it's five. the statistics are going the wrong direction. and for all the abuse that we hear about, it's actually three times more that goes undetected and unannounced and -- yeah. >> early on, in the early -- '93, '94 i wrote a song about child abuse. enough is enough. enough tears have been shed. enough hurt has been hidden. enough bled has been bled. enough is enough, let it rain, love and trust till the steel fist of rage has fallen. enough is enough. child abuse has to be stopped. >> i'm so glad you said it on this particular day. that's awesome. send that to my friend, sarah. that's beautiful. >> we'll get down there. >> you get going. i've got hoda woman coming back tomorrow. she's afraid. >> we could get to washington and back. if we go to washington then i've got to catch a flight to l.a. i got to be back in the morning. >> who cares? >> you're right.

no one cares. up next -- i do care. i love it. i think we got a hit with "leather and lace." finish that, baby. up next, an honest and irreverent look at motherhood. the good, the bad and mostly the scary. right after this. tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease

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jill started an online journal where women could anonymously share their secrets. now jill has a new book. the good, the bad and the scary started as an online journal. and? that's where you read. >> jill's here along with lisa. >> lisa belkin. >> she's the senior columnist. >> yes. of what? >> of the huntington post. >> no. actually of life work and family at "the huffington post." by the way -- you dads have your moments as well, right? >> that's right. i'm writing a book called confessions of a scary daddy. >> it comes out right after "hi "hillbilly heart." humor is the one thing that gets me through the day no matter what. especially as a parent. tell us about how all this came about. >> it came about as a baby book for my three kids.

and just evolved into this parenting community filled with people who just see parenthood as the honest, you know, down and dirty way that it is. and not the rainbow and butterfly and perfect experience that some people, you know, portray it as. >> have you ever been completely and totally shocked by what somebody confessed to you? >> yeah. i've been shocked a lot. >> by what? >> oh, i mean, just things about people's spouses and mothers-in-law and a lot of interpersonal stuff. but they're funny ones. there are really funny parents telling, you know, their kids that the ice cream truck when it plays music is actually out of ice cream. just feeding their kids mac and cheese way too often. using the tv as a babysitter. hiding out in the bathroom. doing the things we do to survive. >> hiding out in the bathroom? i've made the kid go there and hide out. why would i want to -- if your kid is in the bathroom it's

quiet where you are. >> you can't lock them in there. that is scary. >> this book would have been really handy when i had little ones. if you can give me a copy of it, i'd like to take it home and read it to miley tonight. >> good luck with that. >> it's really good birth control, i hear. i will absolutely give it to you. >> yeah. i've never excelled at that department. >> you've been dying to say something. what do you want to say? >> well, i read the book. and i wouldn't read it to your children. but -- >> older ones would understand. >> jill has tapped into something. she's tapped into sort of the confessional. the online parenting confessional where you say the things that you might not say aloud. i'm intrigued that you say it started as a baby book. you started out writing these things to your children. >> i really did. originally when i started the site it was really as a way to keep track of little stories and

little pictures. >> instead of your mother on the phone. >> exactly. i didn't want to be that annoying person who sends 500 pictures a day of her friends and family of her children. >> she hit a nerve. >> she hit a huge nerve. parenting is ugly and messy and sometimes depressing and makes you want to scream. >> and it's the greatest job on earth. >> yes. and you don't want to say certain things to people you actually know in real life because they might turn you in. >> like i have a favorite child. which is the one that's actually doing what you want at the moment. >> the one who's pissing me off least at any moment in time. >> it's going downhill. i can tell you this. you can find an excerpt of "confessions of a scary mommy" at klgandhoda.com. >> i can't wait to read it. honestly. i think it's going to be great.

>> on his way to promote you know what. sara's got those funny photos that are going to have you saying "what the what?" right after this. ♪ special k protein shakes and meal bars. with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber each... they satisfy your hunger longer so you can stay on track. [ telephone rings ] ♪ satisfaction. what will you gain when you lose? love your lunch with special k protein shakes and meal bars.

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all righty. it's that time when we take a look at all those photos you send in that make you say "what the what?" >> "what the what?" >> yes. and from what you hear -- it's what you say. >> here's sara haines. >> here we go. our first photo is from rachel watson from clinton township, missouri. at least it has tv. this is obey wife or live here. ray's doghouse. >> he's got satellite tv. >> he thought it through. if you're going to be out there you might as well have entertainment. >> why is it ray's doghouse? >> because ray is stuck there most of the time. >> who's the ray? >> you're hoda ray. >> our next photo is from suzanne carter from new york. why hasn't anyone thought of this before? husband day care center. >> need time to yourself? need time to relax? want to go shopping? leave your husband with us. we'll look after him for you. >> you only have to cover his tab. >> you only pay for his drinks. >> that was outside a bar which

i thought was awesome. it's so true. drop the husband here. the next one is from brittany grim from erie, pennsylvania. should i be worried if i got a job here? cool off with creamy shakes and parfaits. now hiring losers. it was now hiring closers. that just doesn't read the same way. >> what is a closer? >> the late shift. the one that closes the place down. >> oh, i still wouldn't have gotten it. >> i always wondered how to spell parfait. there it is right there. >> that's not the funny part. i love that they got parfait right but closers -- >> closers they can't get. it's a french word. >> the next one we have a photo from patricia west from watertown, massachusetts. mr. happy crack says, a dry crack is a happy crack. >> i'm taking that down. >> we had to find a crack one. once kathie lee says crack, she says crack a hundred times. >> remember -- over mind.

okay. still ahead, guess who's here, everybody? torii spelling is coming up. a darling new entertaining book. and how much do you really know about easter and passover? we're going to find out. and unleash your inner party planner and entertain friends and family. it all starts with new 48-hour nivea extended moisture nivea. touch and be touched. now bring the world a touch closer. join our million moments of touch movement and be entered in nivea's daily date night sweepstakes. join our million moments of touch movement we're as passionate about cheese as you are. so we've created three new parmesan dishes. new grilled chicken parmesan, chicken fresh off the grill as well as grilled shrimp or grilled steak. all with a parmesan crust. passion for parmesan for a limited time, only at olive garden.

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wednesday, with more of today ready to play our weekly trivia game we call "who knew?" this weekend is a double dose of holidays. we're going to celebrate. we're going to test your easter and passover knowledge. billy ray is filling in for hoda today. he's across the street at the nbc experience store ready to hand out those dollars, yeah, those dollars to people who get the answers correctly. and for those lucky losers who don't, they get a copy of one of my cds. everybody's a winner. here to help me out is mary kate mcgrath. senior editor at "real simple"

magazine. >> good morning. >> let's get right over there to billy ray. got your first question ready? >> i'm ready to go. you ready? according to old superstition, what does the practice of wearing new clothes on easter bring? a, wealth. b, happiness. c, health. or d, good luck. >> we'll say "d," good luck. >> the answer is -- what's the answer, kathie? >> go ahead. >> the answer is good luck. correct. >> they didn't win my cd. they get the money. billy ray. give her the money. good luck. where did that come from? >> it started in mid-1800. if you wear new -- your easter finery on easter you're guaranteed good luck for the rest of the year. easter bonnets, pastels and

everything and you should have a good year. >> good luck with that. billy ray, second question? >> all right. how many glasses of wine -- kathie, you're going to know this one. how many glasses of wine are traditionally drunk at a passover seder meal. a, one, b, two, c, three, or d, four. >> we'll go with one. >> and the answer is "d," four. >> yeah, billy ray, it's seder. i think we should give him the money. >> what's the consolation prize? what? >> nevermind. mary kate, what's going on with that. >> it's four glasses of wine. you might not know how much you drink during a normal holiday. but during passover, seder, four glasses of wine. >> it's a long event. you sit at your table for -- it's a beautiful, beautiful experience. >> it's a gorgeous event. everyone's welcome at the seder table. four glasses. >> so pace yourself. billy ray, what's the third

question? >> okay. the third question -- i'm falling apart here. the third question is, according to the old superstition, what does -- oh, wait a minute. i already read this one. >> give it to me again. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. okay. how much money do americans spend on easter candy each year? a, $1.9 million. b, $2.5 million. c, $1.9 billion. or, d, $2 billion. >> wow. >> that's what i say. >> that's a tough one. i'll say 1$1.9 million -- billion. >> and he's right! give him the money. >> kathie lee's cd. you get the cd and the money. >> mary kate, what's going on? >> very impressive. i'm glad he knew that. americans -- you think halloween is the candy holiday. easter is a close second at $1.9 billion in chocolate bunnies and peeps and all the good stuff.

>> peeps and all those things. speaking of peeps, billy ray, quickly, we have time for one here. >> here we go. how long is the shelf life of the original peeps? six months, one year, two years or five years? >> d, five years. >> no, nope. sorry. give that kid my cd. he's going to love it. >> yeah, you get the cd. >> i think he was right. >> it's two years. which is incredible. these things are, you know, they're -- can last forever. >> check with the ingredients and see why. >> they're really delicious. don't think about that. have a few this easter. >> thank you, billy ray. get on over here. >> i'm on my way back. >> hustle back because tori spelling is throwing herself a party right after this. there she goes! [ female announcer ] new tide pods three-in-one detergent. pop in the drum of any machine...

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reality star tori spelling has been keeping very busy. t she has number four on the way. she stars with her husband in oxygen's story "home sweet hollywood." also author of five books. the latest is called "celebratori." >> easy for you to say. >> i'm doing billy ray. i'm doing double duty here. he says he can tell which baby you're going to have. >> first of all, pretend you didn't hear. i'm supposed to tell you first on this one. >> since you lied to us last time. >> klg, guess what? >> what? >> i'm pregnant. >> i'm happy for you. what is it? is it a boy or girl? >> we don't know. we don't know. we didn't find out with the last one. we're not going to find out with this one. >> you're going to find out today. apparently he has got the -- >> is this true? >> he knows how to do it. >> it requires some time.

>> it's a little bit personal. >> it's okay. i'll close my eyes. >> are you sure? okay. it's a boy. >> really? >> that's what you want, right? you'll take a healthy baby but you would love to have a boy. >> it would be nice to have two of each. >> i'm pretty sure it's a boy. >> how do you know that? >> it's just a feeling. >> yeah. i wouldn't count on it. >> don't start making wagers. >> don't start decorating the nursery. >> i wouldn't decorate yet either. >> you send the most beautiful flowers, the most gorgeous wines. what have you got for us today, darling? >> one of my party tips. budget effect. diy setup. it's great for parties. it's interactive. today i did a champagne bar because i know you don't like hard liquor. a little champagne bar for you. you can kind of put out your own stuff. make beautiful crafts. i'm a tag girl. people love the personalization. make your own tags with twice. you have your champagne. and then you have your juices.

we have some red bull for you. >> thank you. >> some passion fruit for me. put your fruits out. herbs. let people go around and make their own drinks. i always believe in two signature cocktails to reflect the host. today there's three of us. there's going to be three drinks. here we have the achy breaky red bully me. nonalcoholic. >> this is red bull? this is cranberry juice? >> what am i getting? >> broadway berry fizz. >> broadway berry fizz, baby. we're going to see "newsies" today. what are you having since you're pregnant? >> passion fruit pregger. not alcoholic, of course. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> just naming them makes it fun, doesn't it? that's the whole concept. >> people love it. >> have fun with it. >> it should reflect the host of the party so it's great. this one is great because i put some ginger in it. during pregnancy you have the

nau nausea and morning sickness. god bless i don't have any this time. >> then it's definitely a boy. >> you think? >> you're doing a craft show. >> i'm doing "craft wars" for tlc. i'm really excited. >> you are one of those crafty, crafty people. >> i am. first i got to show you my eggs. minis and appetizers. for easter. super easy. hard boiled eggs. deviled egg reinvented. reconstructed made into chicks. the nose is orange pepper. or you can do it with carrot. black eyes are olives. >> true or false. chickens lay eggs. >> you're kidding. >> do chickens lay eggs? >> yes, true. >> female hens do. >> darn it! >> have a bite. the chickies about to go down. >> yesterday i ate the chocolate covered bruins. today boiled eggs. now i'm catching a flight to l.a. >> i feel sorry for the people on that plane. >> me, too. >> i love interactive stuff at a party. this is something all the guests can participate in and make

something for the host. if it's a wedding, it's great. put art out. pick the colors the host will have. they add to it and make a painting for the host. >> a beautiful book. tons and tons of ideas in it. all the best to the family. god bless, sweetheart. happy easter. happy passover. up next, do you really want to go out in that? dressing tips and tricks that will make you look thinner. we promise. right after this. [ male announcer ] to prevent toilet rings from building up, you'd have to clean your toilet every time you flush. that's over thirty-six hundred times a year. [ ding ] who would do that? it's scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaning gel. just stamp it in. its formula is flush-activated to prevent buildup of lime scale and hard water that cause toilet rings. and it keeps working, flush after flush. scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaning gel. the freshest way to keep a toilet clean. [ toilet flushing ] flush after flush. [ female announcer ] s.c. johnson. a family company.

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paying so much, you want better quality. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. for the amount of money that i'm paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. get verizon fios tv, internet and phone with our best price online: just $94.99 a month, guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing. i was just in a...trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] sign up with no annual contract. or choose a two-year contract and pick your bonus: hbo and cinemax for 12 months... or $250 back. fios internet...the speed, you can't compare.

i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] get fios online: $94.99 a month, guaranteed for two years... plus your choice of bonuses with a two-year contract. is change good? in this case, change is very good. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatdeal. that's verizon.com/greatdeal. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead. we are back with ""today's" style and fashion tips and tricks to make you look slimmer no matter what your size is and your shape. >> luckily for us, we've got a style expert here. michelle horner, great to be with you. >> we all do stress out or something, don't we? >> we do. it's not just about looking thinner. it's about finding clothes that flatter your body type. >> what are you going to show us? >> first we have faith. faith has this nice pear-shaped

look. sometimes she wears clothes that are a little bit looser, not as fitted. it's not very flattering. we put her in this charter club dress by macy's. florals are really big for spring. if you're going to wear florals, you want to pick one solid color, preferably in dark, and a medium-size pattern. too big of a pattern makes you look bigger. too small your eyes are all over it. >> you look like a sofa. >> you can look head to toe without your eye stopping. it makes her look longer and leaner. >> and emphasizes her waist which is the tiny part of her. >> exactly. the top part is fitted. the bottom is filler. make sure the fuller starts right below the stomach otherwise it makes you look big. >> we have alex. a slender and petite lady. >> alex is very thin. she complains sometimes about not having enough curves. the jeans she had on gave her no shape and nothing. these are g star. an amazing grand. they created these jeans with a

3-d technology fit in them. hold up the normal pair of jeans. they're flat. >> those are jeggings kind of. >> no. they're real jeans. if you hold them up they've got this 3-d technology. fits naturally to the shape and curve of your body gives you a lot of style and shape and curves which is what alex complains about. >> that's beautiful. what do those cost? >> about $160. denim is something you want to invest in. you can wear these from season to season. find something that fits perfectly. the top is ann taylor loft and completes the look perfectly. >> beautiful. thank you, alex. mora lee has a very curvy body. welcome to my world. >> mora is a mom. she complains about what all of us complain about. stomach never goes right back to its perfect shape. i don't know if you remember kate winslet. she was seen in the stella mccartney dress with the black side panels. this is the idea. an optical illusion. makes your sides disappear and brings your focus into the center. wear a darker color. nice draping at the top.

deep v-neck. it's a little looser and flows on top. covers the stomach area. zara pants nice and fitted to highlight her skinny legs. >> billy ray, you like? >> i like it a lot. >> you seem to be liking this one. >> you talked about the denim. i invested in some denim. then i wore this oversize harley t-shirt to hide my fat. >> what i will see about you, your leather coat. that's an investment piece. you want to wear that -- >> i did invest in this. because i wear it every time i come to new york. >> you're good. >> i think we have one more, don't we? thank you so much. we have zia who has a very athletic frame. >> she's athletic. the before look, the skirt, it just doesn't hit right. the whole outfit is not working for her. here we've got an a-line skirt from banana republic. the nice thick waistband. a little higher to cover your stomach. the top is very fitted. she's a little bustier, chesty. >> nothing wrong with that, right, billy ray? >> that's wonderful.

>> find a shirt that fits. otherwise you look big and puffy. a little tip is to tailor the sides. it's really inexpensive but makes for a perfect fit. >> thank you, michelle horner. we've got a performance from billy ray himself. guess what he's going to sing? "hillbilly heart." but first this is "today" on nbc. you are going to sing it. you will sing. i was paying too much with cable.

paying so much, you want better quality. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. for the amount of money that i'm paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. get verizon fios tv, internet and phone with our best price online: just $94.99 a month, guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing. i was just in a...trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] sign up with no annual contract. or choose a two-year contract and pick your bonus: hbo and cinemax for 12 months... or $250 back. fios internet...the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] get fios online: $94.99 a month, guaranteed for two years... plus your choice of bonuses with a two-year contract. is change good? in this case, change is very good.

[ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatdeal. that's verizon.com/greatdeal. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

the tie owe ta concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> billy ray cyrus's two-day as cohost is coming to a close. before he signs off he's going to treat us to a new song. guess what it's called? "hillbilly heart." here's billy ray cyrus.

♪ born down in the holler, down among the hills ♪ ♪ never had a lot of luck, but i had some thrills keeping it country ♪ ♪ keep it country all the time, i said country is as country does, country is why country love ♪ ♪ walking by the river, down along the track, always trying to look ahead, a lot of love looking back ♪ ♪ keeping it country, yeah, keeping it country all the

time ♪ ♪ well, i've been this way from the start, i got a hillbilly heart ♪ ♪ he's got a hillbilly heart >> i bet you got a hillbilly heart, too, girl. >> i don't know this song. but i don't care ♪ hey ♪ ho ♪ hillbilly heart ♪ keeping it country ♪ keeping it country >> woo! let me tell you something. ♪ lord, i love the guitar, love to hear it loud, if you don't

like what you hear, you should leave this crowd ♪ ♪ we're keeping it country, keeping it country all the time ♪ ♪ well this southern twang, it is my art, i got a hillbilly heart ♪ ♪ he's got a hillbilly heart ♪ i love my truck ♪ he loves his truck ♪ love to drive it fast, if you don't like the way i drive, you can kiss my ass ♪ ♪ i'm keeping it country ♪ he's keeping it country ♪ keeping it country all the time ♪ ♪

i've been this way from the start, i've got a hillbilly heart ♪ ♪ i've been this way from the start ♪ ♪ he's been this way ♪ i got a hillbilly heart, a hillbilly heart, hillbilly heart ♪ >> thanks to billy ray for helping us out the last couple of days. hoda's going to be back tomorrow for ambush makeovers plus everyone has a story. have a great winesday, wednesday, everybody. god bless and thank you, billy. wednesday, everybody. god bless and thank you, billy. we got a hit! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com